‘Mini crimewave’ lands man in prison for three-and-a-half years

Saturday 25 November 2017

A 49-year-old man with an “unenviable criminal record” of more than 80 previous convictions has been sent to prison for three-and-a-half years after a fifteen-hour mini crimewave that started in Gorey, moved on to Ouaisne, and ended up in town.

Matthew Higham started his spree in the early hours of 28 March by breaking into a house in Grouville, and stealing several items including cameras, guitars and computer equipment.

The young mum who was in the house at the time heard noises but thought it was her husband coming back home after having been working late. Although she didn’t come face to face with the intruder, prosecuting advocate Richard Pedley told the court the incident has left her shocked and frightened to the point she has considered getting medical treatment.

Using keys he found in the house Higham then stole the family’s blue Nissan Micra – he was already disqualified and doesn’t have insurance. He later abandoned the car on the slipway at Ouaisne. It was then submerged by the tide. It was recovered from the beach the following day, where it had been dragged by the sea. Water damage meant the insurers were forced to write the car off.

Looking for another form of transport, Higham then stole a pink and white mountain bike belonging to a 12-year-old which he found near the Hotel L’Horizon. CCTV footage then shows him walking around St Aubin. After being refused entry to the Sanctuary for homeless men, Higham then popped into a nearby store and is again captured on camera, this time stealing a sausage roll worth £1.15.

According to the Prosecution, “Street CCTV [then] captured the Defendant cycling unsteadily along the Esplanade cycle path...  Tracking his progress via various cameras he was at the junction of Gloucester Street and the Esplanade at 10:39am, where the pink and white mountain bike is clearly visible (subsequently identified by the owner’s step-father).

“He then rode the bike to Broad Street, leaving it unsecured in a bike rack before he went into the Post Office at 10:46, leaving at 10:49.  It has not been recovered. Between 10:55 and 11:00 he was filmed in Airtel Vodaphone, New Street, stealing an iPhone 6S.

“At approximately 12:30, a member of staff working in the Powerhouse in Don Street noticed that a Macbook Air laptop which she had put on display earlier that morning at 09:00 was missing. The alarm and charging cable were still in situ and a stock check confirmed that the laptop had not been sold. It was later recovered from the Defendant’s room along with the iPhone stolen from Airtel and the majority of the property stolen from the property in Grouville.”

Passing sentence, the Deputy Bailiff, Tim Le Cocq, agreed the spree of offending clearly merited a prison sentence. He added the court wanted to send out a strong message that people should feel secure in their own homes and anyone caught breaking into a property, especially in the middle of the night whilst the occupants were there, will receive long sentences.