Chorley burglar recruited son and daughter's boyfriend for night of masked break-ins over Christmas

Andrew Smith, who was said to have an “horrendous” criminal record of almost 100 previous offences, was sent to prison for six years for masterminding the plot to steal from homes in the Chorley area.

But Judge Graham Knowles KC criticised a law which prevented him from imposing an even tougher sentence on the 50-year-old because he is already serving a prison term for other burglaries.

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Smith’s 27-year-old son Cameron Smith was jailed for three years for his part in the pre-Christmas attack on houses in Charnock Richard and Coppull on December 15.

And his daughter’s long-term partner Connor Evans, 19, was sentenced to 12 months in a young offenders’ institution.

The trio were caught by police after a householder was threatened by Smith Snr with a long screwdriver when she interrupted their attempt to break into her home in Mill Lane, Coppull late at night.

The court heard all three were wearing balaclava masks. One was found hiding in a wheelie bin, another underneath a parked van and the third was picked up walking away from the scene.

After hearing the extent of Smith Snr’s record for house burglaries – he had been jailed six times in the past 24 years for breaking into homes - Judge Knowles said he was powerless to send him down for any longer than eight years, with a discount of a quarter for pleading guilty.

He will serve only two fifths of that (around two years five months) in jail and the rest on licence. But because he has already been recalled to prison to serve the remainder of a four-and-a-half year sentence for burglaries imposed in 2022 – he still has two years of that to complete - the latest punishment will have to run alongside it instead of being added on.

In effect he could serve only around five months of this latest sentence before being released in 2027.

“I have no power to add my sentence to the one you are already serving,” he told Smith, of Derwent Road, Chorley.

“Judges used to have that sort of power, but it was reduced by an Act of Parliament. I have no power to inflate it to what any right-minded member of the public might think you should serve.”

He said he felt it was “a complete injustice” Smith was able to commit these latest offences “with such minimal consequences.”

The judge heard that the three men were apprehended after trying to get into two houses on the night of December 15 last year.

Lisa Worsley, prosecuting, told the court a householder called 999 to report an attempted break-in at his home in Charnock Richard. He said he had just gone to bed at around 10.15pm after going outside to turn off the Christmas lights in his garden and in a wreath on his front door.

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But when upstairs he heard three or four bangs which sounded like doors shutting. He went downstairs and saw a silhouette of a person walking past the window. He opened his front door to find a fence panel had been slid up and there was damage to the door and the outdoor lights.

CCTV in the street showed three men standing outside the house wearing the same clothing that the Smiths and Evans were wearing when they were arrested.

“Get the f*ck out of my house!”

About an hour later another homeowner in nearby Coppull was locking up when she heard a shuffling noise in the porch. She opened the door to find Smith Snr lying on the floor. Cameron Smith was wearing a balaclava and ran off when she confronted them.

But Smith Snr got up and took an item out of his clothing. She said it had a long shiny blade and a dark handle and she thought it was a knife.

Smith moved quickly towards her in what she thought was an attempt to get her to back off. She screamed at him to “get the f*** out of my house” and at that point he ran off.

Police were quickly on the scene after the reports of the earlier incident in Charnock Richard and the three men were detained. Officers found a black rucksack where Evans, of Scawfell Road, Chorley, was hiding under a parked van. It contained a torch and several screwdrivers as well as a scanning device to alert the men to police movements in the area.

All three gave “no comment” interviews after arrest. They all pleaded guilty to attempted burglary in Charnock Richard and going equipped for theft. The Smiths also admitted burglary with intent to steal at the address in Coppull.

A victim impact statement from the householder at the first address said the man and wife had a nine-year-old son in the house and the incident had left him afraid to sleep in his own room and needing reassurance. The couple had been left feeling unsafe and uneasy in their own home.

At the other address the couple had two vulnerable old people living with them and the whole family had been left in fear. The woman who confronted Smith Snr in the porch had felt her life was in danger when he produced what she thought was a knife. They had since installed CCTV for security.

Ms Worsley told the court Cameron Smith, of Old Hall Street, Wigan, had 10 previous offences on his record as a juvenile, but none of them burglaries. He had not been in trouble since 2017. Evans had no previous convictions.

Judge Knowles described the incidents as “a deliberate, planned, organised team effort, committing multiple burglaries of houses at night in a relatively remote location.”

He said Andrew Smith had been the “driving motivating force behind it” with his son and daughter’s boyfriend joining in.

Defence barrister Claire Larton, representing Smith Snr, said her client had an “horrendous” record, one he himself admitted was appalling.

“He has acknowledged that and does so through me,” she told the judge. “He is deeply sorry for the offences and for what he recognises were the consequences and impacts on those concerned.”

In a letter to the judge he had said he wanted to “become a better man”. He recognised he needed help. She added that he had told her: “This is the last time.”

Cameron Smith’s lawyer said he had been “led astray” by his father. But he had to take full responsibility for his actions. He was not the one with the screwdriver and did not intimidate anyone. In fact he had run away when confronted by one of the householders.

“There was no violence used against or threatened against the victims by Cameron Smith. The offences were just a mistake which he seriously regrets and says will not happen again.”

Claire Larton, who also represented Evans, said the teenager was in a different situation to the other two because he had no previous convictions. His behaviour that night had been “demonstrably out of character”.

He was in a long-standing relationship with Smith’s daughter and the couple had two young children. He also had the chance of full time employment. “I ask you to accept his expression of remorse.”

Judge Knowles said his six-year term for Smith Snr would only add around five months to the time he will spend in jail because of the law limiting judges in sentencing people already in prison.

He said Cameron Smith’s role was less than that of his father, but the offences were still very serious “committed by a three-man team of which you were a part”. He sentenced him to four years, with a 25 per cent discount for pleading guilty.

In Evans’ case he said the 19-year-old had been recruited by Smith Snr, but his actions were still his own fault for going along with the plan.

“You are very capable of understanding right from wrong and are able to understand the consequences this has for others and yourself. You did know what you were doing was wrong.

“You were brought into this by your partner’s father. You chose to join in what was wrong. There was a significant degree of planning and organisation – but I don’t think that was by you.”

But addressing the question of whether he should give him a suspended sentence the judge said: “The appropriate punishment can only be achieved with an immediate custodial sentence.”