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UK Wedding News

23/05/2013

Groom Jailed After Looting His Own Wedding

A man has been jailed after he admitted to burglary at a venue, which was hosting his wedding reception at the time.

According to The Telegraph, Christopher Richards, 25, and George Taylor, 24, helped take 62 bottles of spirits worth more than £1,000 from the bar and 159 bottles of spirits and cans of soft drinks worth £2,672 from the storeroom during the nighttime raid at the Bacup Hub club in Bacup, Lancashire.

More than 80 bottles of wine and 2,600 bottles or cans of beer and alcopops with a total value of £3,803 were also taken from the venue.

In addition to the drinks, computers, laptops and DVDs valued at £14,970 went missing and it cost £24,214 to replace damaged property such as CCTV cameras, mirrors, tiles, cupboards and glasses.

The total cost of the raid in theft and damage was £46,790.

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The incident happened after the owner of the club, Catherine Murphy, held a half price champagne buffet for the newlywed couple and their 90 wedding guests because the couple said they didn't have a lot of money. She only charged Richards and his wife-to-be Bridie Sparks £1,060 for the party, and she paid the remaining £2,400 herself.

However, throughout the night of January 2 and 3, the two men, along with two other intruders, repeatedly returned to the club to steal the various items. Richards, an unemployed former labourer, handed himself into police after CCTV captured him inside the building.

It has been reported that Miss Murphy, 34, who bought the venue for £175,000 and who at the time was pregnant, was said to be so "emotionally tortured" by the groom's betrayal that she tried to commit suicide.

She said: "I feel ashamed that I trusted them. Bridie explained her circumstances and she got a bit upset when I first met her.

"She'd had a bit of bad luck, her mother had died when she was younger, but she wanted the wedding of every girl's dreams and I helped to bring some community spirit back to the area.

"It's shaken my belief in people and I hope I'll be a better judge of character in future."

Following the theft, events and staff had to be let go and couples cancelled weddings.

Richards admitted burglary at Burnley Crown Court and was jailed for six months. He had previously told police it was an act of stupidity carried out when he was drunk. His wife, who is currently pregnant with the couple's third child, has said she will continue to stand by him.

(JP/MH)



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"A man has been jailed after he admitted to burglary at a venue, which was hosting his wedding reception at the time."