A ‘SERIOUSLY dishonest’ thief robbed a family bike store in Warrington after aiding in a £1.7 million heist of Liverpool FC merch.

Darren Briarcliffe, 39, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on February 2 after having pleading guilty to robbery and being concerned in the handling of stolen goods.

Prosecuting, Gerald Baxter told the court that Briarcliffe had aided a heist of a Liverpool FC warehouse where £1.7 million worth of merchandise was stolen.

The thieves carried out a ‘sophisticated burglary’ involving six men on the evening of September 23, 2022, where they stole more than 55,000 items from the Premier League club.

These six men, which did not include Briarcliffe, stole a van to help transport the stolen goods. This was tracked, with the men then being followed by police.

Police tracked one of the men to a ‘Dave’s motor unit’ rented out, and the man was arrested. Briarcliffe was found on the scene throwing away a phone, and Liverpool FC branded gin was found in their trunk.

The 39-year-old later admitted that he had been contacted to see if he could store large quantities of the stolen goods and ask around to ‘see if anyone wanted to buy some’. He had texted on a menu with prices to several people.

The prosecution, despite initially believing he was involved in the heist itself, accepted his basis of plea that he was contacted after the fact and was solely involved in the storage and resale of the stolen goods.

Briarcliffe was promised £10,000 worth of merchandise as payment for storing and selling the goods.

Earlier that year, on June 12, 2022, Briarcliffe had raided Ron Spencer Cycles in Warrington. He broke in late at night using an angle grinder to open a container. He then stole 89 bicycles, with a retail value of £68,000.

Mr Baxter read out in the court the devastating effects this had on the cycle store in a victim personal statement from owner Suzanne Spencer.

She said: “The impact of this incident was substantial.

“Thankfully we had insurance, but if we hadn’t, we probably would have lost our business.”

Ms Spencer’s statement outlined that, to comply with their insurance as they were now considered a higher risk, they had to spend a large amount of money on new security measures.

The store was also ‘unable to sell bikes to customers’ due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19 at the time on the shipping of goods.

Ron Spencer Cycles is a family-run business which has been running for 40 years in the Warrington town centre.

Suzanne Spencer’s statement went on to say: “It doesn’t seem fair that we should have suffered in this way.”

Mr Baxter finished the prosecution’s statement by pointing to the defendant’s history of antecedence, which most notably saw him jailed for causing death by dangerous driving in 2008.

Defending Briarcliffe, Kate Morley told the court that Briarcliffe was sorry for the effects of his actions and ‘readily acknowledges he acted terribly’.

Presiding, Recorder Louise Brandon told the 39-year-old he was: “A seriously dishonest individual with no prospect of rehabilitation.”

Regarding the bicycle theft, she said: “It is not an overstatement to say you have affected how that business will operate forever.”

Briarcliffe, of Dunston Street, Liverpool was sentenced to a total of five years and five months in prison for his two crimes.