VIDEO: ‘Worm Burglar’ jailed for string of pub thefts

Leigh Cassidy was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday) after pleading guilty to burglary at an earlier hearing.

Dubbed the ‘worm burglar’ for the way he would crawl on his stomach to avoid alarm sensors, Cassidy broke into pubs in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire, raiding gaming machines and stealing money.

Premises targeted between March 2013 and May 2014 included the Hinds Head, Wilfred Wood and Moor Top in Stockport, the Trevor Arms in Chorlton, the Sidings in Levenshulme and the Queen’s Arms in New Mills.

In total, the 47-year-old, of Hyde Road, Gorton, stole around £7,000 from the owners and caused thousands of pounds of damage to the pub buildings and machines.

Detective Constable Adele Coulter, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “On each occasion, Cassidy broke into the pub and in an effort to avoid the alarm sensors, he crawled through the pub on his front until he got to his target – hence his nickname, the ‘Worm Burglar’.

“Once there, he raided the gaming machines, stealing hundreds of pounds. Once he had finished, he crawled back to where he had broken in and left, sometimes activating the alarm, but by this time he had already escaped.

“Thankfully, we received information he had been involved in a burglary using the same tactic and we managed to link him with the remaining crimes.

“Cassidy thought he was being clever and was getting away with it but it goes to show that crime does not pay and you will be brought to justice eventually.”