Milton Keynes landscape gardener rifled through client's jewellery box during loo break, court hears

A landscape gardener has been spared jail despite being convicted of stealing more than £500 worth of sentimental jewellery from a client's home.

Shogun Jones had been working on a retired woman's garden who let him and his colleague access her house freely for toilet breaks, drinks and snacks, a judge heard.

However, the 25-year-old decided to take advantage of his access to her home to creep into her bedroom and steal family heirlooms from her jewellery box. He then pawned the items for a total of £580 - meaning the sentimental items were lost forever.

He was given a suspended prison sentence by a judge at Aylesbury Crown Court this morning (Monday).

Mr Recorder John Law told the defendant as he sentenced him: "You are being sentenced for stealing from somebody who has given you their trust and let you into their home while you were working there.

"That is one of the most upsetting offences that you can commit. The feeling of violation that someone has at the idea of someone going about private areas of the house is considerable."

The victim, a retired woman named only as Mrs Smit from Milton Keynes, read out her impact statement to the court.

She told the judge: "One of the rings was given to me for my eighteenth birthday. Another was a gift from my late husband. They were of invaluable sentimental value and cannot be replaced."

Katie Jones, prosecuting, told the court: "Jones was part of the two-men landscaping team that were working at the house in Milton Keynes.

"On January 6, 2022, Ms Smith noticed that a number of items of jewellery were missing from her jewellery box. Jones was subsequently arrested on March 22.

"He told the police he had sold the jewellery. The pawn shop was identified and able to confirm Jones had sold them the victim's jewellery for a total of £580."

Jones, who lives on Beanhill, initially denied the charges of burglary, saying that he had found the jewellery outside of Ms Smith's house and thought they had been lost by someone else.

He stood trial for one count of burglary at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court and was convicted on June 7 this year before being sent to crown court for sentencing.

Mr Recorder Law sentenced him to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He said: "Given it is your first offence, I do not believe you represent a risk to the public."

The judge took into account Jones' young age at the time and the fact he is the primary carer for his mother who suffers from spinal arthritis and needs her son's help day-to-day.

Gabrielle Compton, Jones' defence counsel, told the judge: "It is very clear from the conversations I have had with Mr Jones that he is extremely remorseful.

"At the time, he was very overwhelmed financially and did not feel like he had any support around him. He committed the offence with complete lack of maturity and judgement."

Additionally to his suspended sentence, Jones will have to work a total of 150 unpaid hours. He has also been ordered to pay £500 compensation to the victim and to attend 25 days of rehabilitation activity.