Man jailed for 20 weeks for series of thefts in West Suffolk

A Haverhill man has been jailed for 20 weeks for a series of theft offences.

Gavin McConkey, aged 51 and of no fixed abode but from the Haverhill area, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates Court yesterday (Wednesday, September 7) and was sentenced for a string of offences.

These were five incidents of theft from Tesco Extra, Newmarket, one theft from Sainsburys, Haverhill, and two counts of possession of controlled drugs. He pleaded guilty an earlier court hearing.

McConkey was sentenced to 20 weeks in jail for the theft offences and two weeks custody for the drug offences to run concurrently.

Twenty one other offences were also taken into consideration at court under Operation Converter. These were for offences relating to seven cases of thefts from a motor vehicle, nine cases of interference from a motor vehicle and three thefts from shop, and one assault and one theft took place from April 29n to July 21. These all took place around Haverhill.

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes. This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate, so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence.

Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then taken into consideration at sentencing.