Trio caught in undercover police sting

IPSWICH: An undercover police sting targeting stolen goods on the streets of Ipswich has secured a string of convictions, it can be revealed today.

Operation Tarragon, part of the larger Operation Bivalve, led to a series of arrests after criminals attempted to peddle stolen items to police officers who had posed as shopkeepers.

Those snared in the covert sting appeared at South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Wednesday to answer the charges against them.

Kathryn Barter, of Kelly Road, Ipswich, admitted five counts of possessing stolen goods with a total value of �728.

The court heard how the 24-year-old mum had resorted to crime to fund a Class A drug habit.

Mark Holt, mitigating, said Barter had turned her life around since the incidents which involved goods stolen from Staples, Halfords, Maplins and B&Q. The mother-of-one had enrolled on a Princes Trust course and was undergoing drug rehabilitation, he said.

In a statement, Barter's mother described her suffering “severe depression and a growing dependency on drugs” prompting her to make “extremely ill-advised decisions”.

District Judge David Cooper subjected Barter to a community order for 12 months with 80 hours' unpaid work. She was ordered to pay �85 costs.

Adam Calver, of Richmond Road, Ipswich, admitted three counts of handling stolen goods worth more than �300.

The items included three Philips electric razors and an Oral B toothbrush from Boots, four razors from TK Maxx and seven Nintendo DS games.

The 27-year-old was found to be in breach of a suspended sentence imposed on him in August 2008. He was committed to Ipswich Crown Court to be sentenced at a date to be set.

Kyle Page, of Birkfield Drive, Ipswich, admitted handling a stolen iPod which had been taken from a vehicle parked in Ipswich on March 3, 2008.

District Judge Cooper fined the 22-year-old �100, ordered him to pay costs of �85 and a victim surcharge of �15.