Halton Lodge Dental Surgery in Runcorn fell victim to a senseless ransacking and burglary at the hands of three men, at least two of which were addicted to class A drugs. Antony Wain aged 47 and Samuel Hambleton aged 38, along with an another unidentified male, were observed stealing items from the surgery back in March this year. Halton Lodge suffered loss and damages, including, money, dental supplies, and damage to property, worth around four thousand pounds.
Following a tip off to authorities, the two men were located at an address on Grangeway, where police initially had difficulty gaining entry to the property. Once inside, police arrested Wain and Hambleton after finding stolen goods on the premises. The men had even stolen the dental practice’s toothpaste.
Wain and Hambleton appeared in front of Chester Crown Court last Friday and were sentenced to twenty-eight months and twenty-four months respectively for the crime. It was also revealed that the pair have a very colourful past, with a total of seventy-two previous convictions between them, Wain being the most prolific with fifty-six to his name. Judge Patrick Thomas was not impressed by the pair’s antics, “You effectively ransacked the place. The consequence is the surgery was closed for three days, patients and staff were no doubt extremely distressed. The local community was without the dentist for three days and the business was caused considerable hardship.”