Two Newport men who took a taxi to commit a burglary in Godshill – and then failed to pay the fare – have avoided immediate prison time despite stealing high-value and sentimental items from a family home.
36-year-old Thomas Hayden, of Cook Avenue and 33-year-old James Arbery, of Carisbrooke Road, both appeared before the Isle of Wight Crown Court for sentencing on 9th January for offences committed on 19th September 2024.
The court heard that the pair travelled by taxi to a farm in Godshill, but failed to pay the £26 fare. Later that day, the homeowner reported a burglary that had occurred between 14:00 and 16:00. At 17:45, she discovered that several valuable items were missing, including a MacBook Air, AirPods, a diamond ring, a gold ring, a watch and a camera lens.
Police were able to trace the MacBook’s location to a pub, where CCTV showed both defendants in possession of a distinctive pink shopping bag taken from the home. Forensic analysis of the farmhouse also linked them to the scene.
An engagement ring was later found discarded in a field, but most of the stolen items – estimated to be worth £5,000 – were not recovered.
In a victim impact statement, the homeowner – a mother of 4 – said she felt vulnerable knowing someone had been in her bedroom and her children’s rooms. She described the experience as leaving her feeling ‘violated’ and ‘dirty’, with particular distress caused by the theft of her grandmother’s wedding ring. Despite this, she expressed no malice towards the defendants, but rather sadness and a hope that they would change their ways.
Hayden admitted burglary dwelling and theft, making off without payment, and possession of both Class A and Class B drugs. He received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended for 2 years, along with 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity days. He must also pay £1,500 in compensation.
Arbery, who entered the property with intent to steal but was not linked directly to the stolen items, admitted burglary and making off without payment. He received a 16-month prison sentence suspended for 2 years, with 15 rehabilitation activity days and £300 compensation.
Hayden was previously convicted in 2023 after being caught driving while 16 times over the legal limit for cocaine metabolite. Arbery, meanwhile, was sentenced to 32 months in 2020 for robbing a Newport shop at knifepoint.
Clearly career criminals. Why do these judges not send them to prison. Pathetic justice system. These scumbags have had a horrendous effect on the victims life. She may never get over it. Yet if you post certain things on social media you can get an immediate prison sentence. This is what is wrong in our once great country
Vulnerable victims, goods not recovered, robbery in a domestic setting and they walk. Really? And this is a judge in the Crown Court. £5,000 in unrecovered loot and between them they pay compensation of £1,800. Who says crime doesn’t pay?
How did they get off? WTF there seems to be no justice for the innocent people? They committed a crime and they were not punished they must be laughing at the law!
Some deterrent that was , pathetic !!
What a deterrent !! Really fantastic how the courts protect us from thieving scum.
Robert Peel is probably turning in his grave the way
the law has gone.
Burglary should be immediate prison.
The answer is build more prisons, but don’t build them like a hotel, build them with cells that prisoners do not want to go back to after experiencing them. I can can supply a building spec if anyone wants it, just look at China.
Firstly, I don’t agree either. The one who was jailed after robbery at knifepoint should certainly have not passed go.
But we have a severely broken jail system. We still have 8500 people on indeterminant sentences, people who in normal circumstances would have served 6 months max, but are still there 20 years later. (At 50k a year each of your taxes, I might add) There was a tariff….but politics at the time were reacting to public backlash to perceived ‘crime waves’ and were screaming ‘lock them up!’ for every single misdemeanour. And now the prison system is groaning under the weight. There is no space left for more serious criminals.
Judges are currently being told to consider the overcrowding situation for every crime with a tariff of 2 years or fewer. I suspect that happened in this case. It’s also straight on the back of slam-dunk magistrates’ sentencing to reduce trials. A perfect storm.
Does rather make a mockery of the prolific homeless Ventnor shoplifter consistently getting 6 months a pop when all he needs is a home and benefits at half the cost of jail. If the powers that be actually wanted to reduce harm to the public they’d use his revolving door place for the bloke willing to use a knife to steal.
Be careful what you wish for…it’s a finite system. There is no other Van Diemen’s Land available for stealing hankies.
Please can we see a photo of these fuckwitts so we can throw them off the Island?
What’s going on with our Judges it’s pathetic this sentence what is happening to our Country ???
That sentence is an absolute disgrace, the court is a joke, they were caught without question, why the soft sentence? What about some thought for their victims. They should have been taken off our streets and imprisoned.
Honestly what the point..it’s Pathetic..as usual.