Three men charged in connection with a series of burglaries involving auction houses in the South of England will appear at crown court in January.
Darryl Aldridge, 46, of New Barn Road,
Shoreham by Sea, Anthony Townsend, 49, of Upper Lewes Road,
Brighton, and Anthony Fortune, 54, of Park Road, Worthing, are due
face trial at a crown court in Sussex, following an investigation
by the Serious Organised Crime Unit of Sussex Police.
They appeared for a Plea and Case Management
Hearing at Hove Crown Court on September 21 and a trial date of
January 28, 2013 was set.
Aldridge is in custody, and Townsend and
Fortune are on bail.
Aldridge is charged with 11 burglaries,
including eight in Sussex, conspiracy to pervert the course of
justice, and another theft.
Two of the burglaries took place at
Gorringes in Lewes in May and June 2011, when various antiques were
taken. Two took place at Toovey's in Washington, in May and October
2011, and one was at Denhams in Warnham in July 2011.
Three were house burglaries this year in
which valuable antique items were also stolen. One of those was in
Pratton Avenue, Lancing, on March 28, one was in Maldon Road,
Brighton, on June 4, and one was in Derek Avenue, Hove, on June 7.
He is also charged with burglary at Concord in Cranbrook, Kent, in
June 2011, burglary at Stroud Auctions, in Gloucestershire in
October 2011, and one at JS Auctions in Banbury, Oxfordshire in
July 2011.
He is also charged with theft at Toovey's in
October 2011, possession of cannabis and amphetamine, and
conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to the
burglary in Stroud.
Townsend has been charged with the burglary
at Stroud Auctions.
Fortune has been charged with perverting the
course of justice in relation to the Stroud burglary.
Items stolen included antique clocks, jewellery, vases,
figurines, and furniture, with an estimated value of £142,000.
Property with an estimated value of £72,000 has been recovered so
far.
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