Burglar’s bar crawl ends in custody after man sentenced to 4 years for a series of business burglaries in Whitefield

Shamsul Islam (01/03/1984) of no fixed abode crawled through bars and restaurants whilst stealing cash from behind the tills in Bury. He has been jailed for 4 years after being found guilty of burglary at Minshull Street Crown Court last week.

This burglar was busted after he was disturbed by a burglar alarm and he was caught red-handed taking cash from the till.

Islam’s burglary spree started in August 2024. On the 19 August, on Heathfield Road in Bury, Islam spotted a parked car. He tried the car door and realised it was unlocked – Islam then vanished into the night only to return at 1am when he opened the car door before he stole the victim’s coat and searched the boot for more items to steal before he fled the scene.

Little did he know, he dropped two disposable e-cigarettes in the car as he quickly fled the scene and crime scene investigators were able to link this back to Islam’s DNA which was already on the police database from a previous burglary.

Nine days later on Wednesday 28 August, at 3am, Islam gained entry to a pub on Manchester Road in Whitefield through the back gate of the premises before he smashed the ground floor window to get in. Nothing was reported stolen.

After an unsuccessful burglary on Manchester Road, Islam was seen an hour later on CCTV at a pub on Bury New Road, Whitefield after he broke in through an insecure ground floor window. He was captured on CCTV crawling the length of the pub floor all the way behind the bar where he removed £200 from the till.

The night after on Thursday 29 August 2024, Islam heads to Dale Street in Whitefield at 1.40am to try something a bit different from his usual Modus Operandi of commercial premises and walks past a number of residential properties. He pushed at the front doors and attempted to prise the ground floor windows open with his hands, after failing to gain entry, Islam moves on which shows the importance of ensuring your home is always secure.

Shaken but definitely not stirred from his failure the night before, in the early evening of Sunday 1 September, Islam smashed the ground floor window to a hair and beauty salon on Radcliffe New Road, whilst the owner was working in the salon. This was heard by the tenant of the flat above, who disturbed Islam by shouting “Oi what’s going on” to which Islam replied “sorry Ma’am” before he ran away from the salon. Leaving Islam empty handed from the afternoon's activity.

On Tuesday 3 September, Islam wanted to go back to the bar that he burgled on Wednesday 28 August on Bury New Road, Whitefield so much that he returns to the premises at 3am and enters through an insecure window, prising it open before entering on the ground floor. He crawls on his stomach trying to cover his face in a disastrous attempt to evade capture from the numerous CCTV cameras before hopping over the bar and taking another £200 from the till.

Islam next made his way to a takeaway on Bury New Road at 11pm on Wednesday 4 September and smashes the ground floor windows to gain entry to the property before ransacking the till, taking £200 and a work mobile phone valued at £1200, all whilst leaving behind a number of footprints and fingerprints which were captured by Crime Scene Investigators the following day.

Before he was rumbled, Islam finally visited a restaurant on Sefton Street, Whitefield. Islam broke in after smashing the front ground floor window and then smashing a another pane of glass in the door to gain entry. The owner of the restaurant was woken at 2.15am after his phone alerted him to activity on the CCTV inside the bar area, and after watching the footage live, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Islam proceeded to crawl over the bar to reach the till before attempting to ransack it for cash. He was thankfully disturbed by the intruder alarm and he quickly climbed back over the bar smashing multiple wine glasses on his way out. A small trace of blood was located by crime scene investigators as Islam injured himself getting out the premises quickly through the smashed window. This evidence put an end to Islam’s burgling spree across Bury, where he found himself in police custody.

Police Constable William Loughran of GMP’s Bury Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “Islam had absolutely no regard as he broke into small businesses in the Whitefield area of Bury and stole from owners who were rightly shocked when they saw Islam ransacking their livelihoods.

“Islam is a career criminal who had absolutely no right to be so brazenly entering the premises and taking what isn’t his.

“I would like to thank the victims, and everyone in the force that played a part in getting Islam arrested, and those involved in this investigation that has brought Islam to justice, including our Crime Scene Investigators who were able to prove that he was responsible for this spate of offences."

Neighbourhood crime teams continue their pursuit of burglars and thieves across Greater Manchester, and we are willing to use all resources and tactics available to us to ensure those who target innocent people’s businesses are put before the courts.

Since the start of Operation Castle, alongside seeing decrease in residential burglary, tackling business burglaries also remains a priority and since 2021, we have decreased business burglaries in Greater Manchester by 28% from 5,478 in 2021 to 2022 to 3,942 in 2023 to 2024.

This case also shows the importance of utilising crime prevention advice. Islam continuously checked if a vehicle or premises had insecure doors and windows and, in some instances, thought that it was not worth the trouble and turned away if he could see it would be difficult to gain entry.

Follow simple crime prevention advice to keep burglars out of your business: Keep burglars out of your business | Crime prevention | Greater Manchester Police