LAGOS, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) UK authorities have disclosed that Patrick Rafferty, along with his associates, unlawfully entered Raul Jimenez’s home in Tettenhall while he was with his young children.
The 35-year-old offender focused his criminal activities on Raul Jimenez, the top goal scorer in the history of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, during a two-month period where he managed to steal cars worth nearly £250,000.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard about Rafferty’s involvement with a group of criminals who frequently used disguises when infiltrating residences in the early morning hours.
Burglaries generally occurred while victims were asleep, and the thieves targeted homes in Wolverhampton and Willenhall to seize car keys and escape with vehicles parked in driveways.
In July of the previous year, the gang managed to enter the home of the Mexican striker, stealing two cars worth a combined £130,000.
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Stolen items from the 32-year-old’s home included PlayStation controllers, watches, and computers, as confirmed by prosecutor Jonathan Barker.
Rafferty, with no fixed address, had been convicted 23 times for 58 offenses, which encompassed other burglary cases and conspiracy to steal.
Both Rafferty and Brookes confessed to conspiring to commit burglary and theft between July 18 and September 16 of the preceding year.
During the sentencing, Judge Michael Chambers KC remarked, “You were both part of a criminal gang which was focused on stealing valuable cars by identifying them on driveways and entering the dwelling house in the early hours of the morning, drilling out the locks, wearing disguises.”
Rafferty received an 84-month prison sentence, while Brookes was imprisoned for 54 months on Monday, 21 August.