Two men who plunged Congleton town centre into darkness have admitted trying to steal electrical cable from the grounds of a disused building. Steven John Dale (47) from Fern Crescent in Congleton, and James Johnson (47) from Eldermount Road, Manchester pleaded guilty to burglary at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 and were sentenced the same day.
Dale was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work. Johnson who is in prison serving a sentence for drug offences was sentenced to six months in prison to run concurrent to the sentence already being served.
The two men entered a secure perimeter of empty premises in Bridge Row in Congleton on October 20, 2011 and tried to steal electrical cable from a sub-station belonging to Western Power. After the power cut, an engineer for the company inspected the sub-station and found that the chamber containing live bars had been unbolted and one of the nuts on a bus bar was burnt showing that it had made contact with a metal tool.
Meanwhile, police were called to the War Memorial Hospital in Canal Road after Dale and Johnson aroused suspicion in paramedics by turning up shortly after the power cut which had affected homes, businesses, and the hospital itself, with injuries suggestive of a large electrical discharge. Johnson had burns to his face and a full thickness burn to his hand. Dale had more serious injuries including burns to his face and both arms and smoke inhalation.
After Dale finished lengthy hospital treatment the two men were arrested on suspicion of burglary and later charged. Cheshire Police Insp Mark Gammage said of the case: “There were signs up around the perimeter warning of the dangers of live cables. Stupidly, they ignored these warnings. They are lucky they weren’t killed. This should serve as a stark warning to anyone hoping to make a few quid by stealing cable, that there are painful consequences in attempting such a dim-witted and dangerous act.”
