Play centre burglar jailed

An off-duty police officer is said to have given chase after Geoffrey Wayne Ashcroft, 38, broke into Toyfields in Guest Street, Leigh, in the early hours of August 8.

Ashcroft, who had taken an iPad and chocolate, valued at £60, after rifling a counter at the premises and trying to break into the offices upstairs, eventually managed to escape was arrested later after further enquiries were made.

He was also said to have left spots of blood at the scene, around the point where he forced his way into the play centre, and police also managed to recover CCTV footage of the break-in from a number of cameras in the Guest Street and College Street areas.

Play centre boss Kirsty Sarsfield told the Wigan Post at the time that the raid, which was over in a matter of minutes, had been “really inconvenient” as staff had to play music for parties off their mobiles.

But she added: “Everyone has been lovely since they heard what happened and people have been coming in and offering help.”

Staff were able to honour bookings and the centre received messages of support from their regular customers.

Ashcroft, of Briar Grove, Leigh, pleaded guilty to the burglary when he initially appeared at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates Court on August 25.

He had also admitted two further house break-ins in June, during a separate hearing, and had been committed to Bolton Crown Court for sentencing.

The court heard that he carried out each of the earlier burglaries on the same night, June 15.

In the first incident he targeted a home in Leigh Road and stole a camera, confectionery and an undisclosed amount of money.

And the second break-in, at Hamilton Street, saw Ashcroft take the key to a Citroen C4 car and a Panasonic camera worth £200.

He had been on court bail, having been ordered to observe an overnight curfew, when he was arrested for the Toyfields incident.

A second unidentified man, thought to also have been involved in the Toyfields burglary at the time, was never apprehended.