Man in court over fort weapons theft

ANTIQUE weapons worth £2,000 were stolen during a burglary and Landguard Fort in Felixstowe a court heard.The break in was discovered in January this year by the fort's operations manager and it appeared that the burglar or burglars had used a contractors fencing panel to climb over a high outer wall into the fort, Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday.

ANTIQUE weapons worth £2,000 were stolen during a burglary and Landguard Fort in Felixstowe a court heard.

The break in was discovered in January this year by the fort's operations manager and it appeared that the burglar or burglars had used a contractors fencing panel to climb over a high outer wall into the fort, Ipswich Crown Court heard yesterday.

The same panel had then apparently been pulled up and used to gain access to a flat roof inside the fort said Charles Myatt, prosecuting.

He said a number of weapons including guns, knives and ammunition were stolen during the burglary. A DNA profile was obtained from a cigarette end found outside the window that the intruders had used to gain access to the building and this was found to match a DNA profile belonging to Joe James, 22, of Newhouse Crescent, Watford.

He has pleaded not guilty to being involved in the burglary.

Mr Myatt said that after his arrest James said he had been to Felixstowe a year previously and may have parked his car in the car park at the fort.

However, he had not idea how his cigarette end had got in side the fort. He said the butt could have been placed there by some one with a grudge against him or it could have blown there from Watford.

The trial continues today, Wednesday.