Man faces jail for theft of 200,000 Cadbury Creme Eggs in stolen tractor

A man is facing prison for criminal damage and the theft of 200,000 Cadbury’s Creme Eggs from an industrial unit in Telford, Shropshire.

Joby Pool, 32, pleaded guilty to the charges after he used a metal grinder to break into the unit, before using a stolen lorry cab to drive off with the egg-shaped confectionery, in a heist worth more than £31,000.

He used a tractor unit which had been stolen in the Yorkshire area in October to tow away the trailer, and was stopped northbound on the M42, before being arrested in connection with the incident on Saturday, February 11th.

Pool, dubbed ‘the Easter bunny’ by police, is expected to be jailed for about two years next month, after pleading guilty to theft and criminal damage.

Prosecutor Owen Beale told magistrates: “This clearly wasn’t spur-of-the-moment offending, if I can put it like that, because he had taken with him a tractor unit and he had to know that the load was there in the first place.

“It’s clearly a leading role and it’s clearly significant planning.”

Magistrates were told Pool, from West Yorkshire, was previously convicted of theft, handling stolen goods and driving while disqualified in 2019. Pool pleaded guilty to theft of a lorry trailer belonging to SW Logistics, theft of its contents belonging to Magna Specialist Confectioners, and criminal damage to a chain lock.

In mitigation, Mr McMillan said: “He stopped the vehicle when he realised he was being followed. He realised that the game was up – he realised the police were behind him and pulled in when it was safe to do so.”

“Everything (stolen) had been recovered and that will no doubt assist the owners of the various items that have been taken. There has been no interference with the food products that were taken – they will be in a condition that they can go back on the shelves,” Mr McMillan continued.

In a statement, West Mercia Police said: “Shortly after the theft a vehicle, presumably purporting to be the Easter bunny, was stopped northbound on the M42 and a man was arrested on suspicion of theft.”

In a series of tweets, the force said the ‘eggs-travagant theft’ unfolded at Stafford Park in Telford, Shropshire. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Market Drayton station replied to news the haul of chocolate treats had been recovered, telling police ‘eggcellent work by all involved’.

Pool is expected to be sentenced on March 14th at Shrewsbury Magistrates’ Court.