Jack Daniel’s thief jailed

Forklift driver James Barr has been jailed for three years for his role in the theft of £3.5 million worth of Jack Daniel’s from a warehouse in Norfolk.

Barr, whose job was to unload lorry loads at Richard Johnston Limited, a warehouse in Snetterton, Norfolk, assisted in the theft of 123,000 bottles of imported whiskey from his employer between July and November 2019.

He was also accused of covering up the transfer of £206,315 into his account.

Barr was busted by CCTV footage which showed lorries entering and leaving the premises of the warehouse, but avoiding a weighbridge where they had to show documentation. Though he quit the following day, it was a year later that he was arrested.

Appearing in Norwich Crown Court in February this year, Barr admitted to the offence of theft by an employee.

Barr’s defence, Oliver Haswell, mitigated: “He was a forklift driver. There was a tier of other people above him. He objectively did nothing more than move pallets of whiskey onto lorries.”

However, judge Janet Waddicor said that Barr, though not the ringleader, “played a significant and crucial role”.

Detective sergeant Mark Tate, who led the investigation into the theft, commented on Barr’s crime: “This was a long-standing investigation that showed Barr abused his position at the company and the trust of his employers to fund a lifestyle of buying expensive electrical items, clothing, cars and holidays that was way beyond his means.”

Tate added: “He stole more than 123,000 bottles of whiskey and the total value of his theft was £3.5m – a significant sum that has quite rightly led to him losing his job and now, his liberty.”

As far as db can ascertain, the other individuals involved in the theft of the whiskey are yet to be identified and arrested.

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