Four in court after £100,000 raid on Whitburn home

Four people have been charged after a high value burglary in Sunderland.

Three men and one woman appeared at Bedlington Magistrates court today, Monday, April 15, after an operation led by the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) with backing from Northumbria Police, Staffordshire Police, West Midlands Police and Opal - the national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime.

A specialist team from the NEROCU, supported by Northumbria officers, began investigating three burglaries which occurred between January and April this year in which property worth more than £1million was taken.

Cash, designer wear and jewellery worth more than £100,000 were stolen in a raid on a home in Woodlands Grove in Whitburn.

A burglary at a house in Darras Hall, saw cash taken along with a car which was recovered abandoned close by, and a break-in at a home in Clayton Road in Jesmond resulted in cash, designer wear and jewellery worth more than one million pounds being stolen.

Officers coordinated a strike on the group of suspects in the West Midlands and and arrested them on Friday, April 12, with the support of officers from West Midlands and Staffordshire Police.

The sting also resulted in vehicles being seized and some of the stolen property being recovered, with ongoing investigations to recover the rest.

The four, aged 42, 31, 27 and 23, are Croatian nationals. They were charged with three burglary dwelling offences and appeared before Bedlington Magistrates’ Court today.

The NEROCU lead, Detective Inspector Shaun Fordy, said: “This has been an outstanding display of partnership working and robust police work.

“This operation demonstrates that these types of crimes will not be tolerated in our region, and the incredible lengths we will go to protect our communities, and arrest those we believe are responsible.

“Under the banner of Operation Sentinel, we will continue to utilise partnership working to tackle all forms of Serious and Organised Crime.”

Anyone with any information about burglaries in your area should contact Northumbria Police or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.