A man and woman who stole £15,221-worth of perfume from a Trowbridge store during a ram raid which caused another £13,406-worth of damage have been jailed.

Michael Denyer, 33, of Millground Road, Bristol, and Christina Colton, 44, of Briscoes Avenue, Bristol, were sentenced today at Swindon Crown Court. They had both pleaded guilty to burglary and criminal damage on January 28 at Swindon Magistrates Court.

Denyer was jailed for three years and Colton was jailed for two years and nine months, which included sentencing for both this incident and twice failing to surrender to custody.

The incident happened at around 3.25am on Sunday, June 23 2019 at the Boots store in Bythesea Road.

Shocking CCTV footage shows a Ford Fiesta being purposefully driven into the store front and Denyer and Colton both then getting out of the vehicle wearing balaclavas to conceal their identities.

They broke into cabinets to steal a total of £15,221-worth of perfume and aftershave before returning to the car and fleeing the scene.

The ram raid caused extensive damage to the shop frontage, totalling £13,406 and caused managers to temporarily close the store.

Police recovered a purse from the scene of the crime, which contained identification belonging to Colton. However, detectives still had to prove she was the offender and that the purse had not merely been left during trading hours.

Denyer was arrested the following evening near the same Ford Fiesta in Bristol. Evidence was recovered from his phone and CCTV footage from the day of the incident, which showed him in the store conducting reconnaissance ahead of the burglary, and proving the extent of his planning beforehand.

Crime Scene Investigators also obtained forensic evidence which proved he was one of the offenders.

Detective Constable James Gatherum, from Central CID, said: “Colton has repeatedly tried to evade justice for this crime and there have been warrants out for her arrest since she previously failed to appear for court hearings.

“Denyer has remained in prison for an unrelated offence, since being charged for this burglary.

“Today’s sentencing marks the end of a very long journey since the incident happened, but after a great deal of evidence gathering and delays caused by Colton, I am happy to see both defendants receive lengthy prison sentences.”