Gang alleged to have posed as police officers to steal from pensioners sent to crown court

May 14 2009 by Laurie Stocks-Moore, Chester Chronicle

A GANG of four alleged to have posed as police officers to steal from the homes of the elderly will face trial at Crown court.

The accused were in Chester Magistrates Court on Wednesday and Thursday charged with conspiracy to enter as a trespasser and conspiracy to rob from the homes of pensioners across west Cheshire.

The three men and a woman, from the Wrexham area, are accused of targeting the homes of elderly residents in the county and Powys, Wales between May 5-8 this year.

Elisha Jones, 23, of Hywelfa, Wrexham, and Leon Lavell, 19, Fordowen, Wrexham, appeared at Chester Magistrates Court on Wednesday.

Jerry Patrick Berry, 23, of no fixed abode and a 15-year-old boy from Wrexham, who cannot be named for legal reasons stand jointly accused of the offences and appeared the following day.

They were arrested by Dyfed Powys officers on Thursday, May 7.

On May 5 they are alleged to have carried out four distraction burglaries at Glebe Road, Cuddington, Towers Lane, Frodsham, Alvanley Road, Helsby and Chapel Lane, Kingsley. Jerry Berry is charged with another at Clifton Crescent, Frodsham, on April 27 and a sixth, at Upton Lane, Chester, on May 6, when they are alleged to have taken a silver Mazda 3 car after stealing keys from the property.

All four will appear at Chester Crown Court on May 27 for a preliminary hearing.

Berry pleaded not guilty to a separate offence of stealing an Audi A3 from Sandon Road, Chester in August 2007. The Audi and a police vehicle were damaged when the driver of that stolen car rammed the police car during a pursuit.

He will appear on Tuesday, May 19 via video link from Altcourse prison on that charge.