A man who robbed £25,000 worth of goods from a Carlisle jewellery store has had his sentence increased after intervention by the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP.
In June 2019, 33 year old Daniel Burtak stole a car in Bolton which was then fitted with false registration plates. The next day the offender and an accomplice drove to Carlisle City Centre. Burtak arrived at St Nicholas Galleries Jewellers and entered with his face covered. He vaulted the counter and started grabbing jewellery. When the owner of the store defended his store and staff, Burtak kicked and punched him in the face breaking his nose and loaded his bag with stolen goods. Another witness was attacked by an accomplice of Burtak before the pair drove off in the stolen car.
The getaway car was found abandoned with some of the stolen jewellery still in it. Police tracked down Burtak in a second car with false registration plates from which Burtak attempted to flee when stopped by police, but was caught in nearby woodland. A large amount of the stolen jewellery was found in undergrowth close to where Burtak was apprehended.
In court, the jewellery store owner outlined the pain and suffering he had experienced as a result of the attack and the implications the robbery had on his store - two of his staff had resigned because they no longer felt safe at work, one of whom had worked there for almost 30 years.
On 8 November 2019 Burtak was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court to 8 years' imprisonment for robbery. Today, the Court of Appeal increased this to 11 years' imprisonment after the sentence was referred as being unduly lenient by the Attorney General, the Rt Hon Geoffrey Cox QC MP.
After the hearing the Attorney General said:
"Burtak is a callous robber who left many injured and shaken following his violent spree. A repeat offender, Burtak continued to commit offences despite being granted numerous second chances so it is right for his sentence to be increased."
