Ipswich thief Daniel Coulson sentenced after £90,000 worth of burglaries – including nine-hour police stand-off on rooftop in Butter Market

A man has been jailed after stealing more than £90,000 from Ipswich businesses – which concluded in a nine-hour rooftop stand-off with police.

Daniel Coulson, 50, of Woodbridge Road, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Ipswich Crown Court today.

Coulson, who was on licence after a 2017 conviction for rape when the crimes took place, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary plus one count of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance on May 20.

The first offence, on May 9, was at Europcar, in Woodbridge Road, where Coulson stole dozens of items, including 17 car keys worth £250 each, mobile phones, laptops, a coffee machine and an £80,000 Mercedes.

The second and third offences were on May 16 at Carats and Staffright, in Butter Market, where more than £5,000 in cash and jewellery were taken.

After being caught on CCTV at 4.30am, Coulson climbed onto the roof of the building, where he remained until shortly before 1.40pm.

Eleanor Gwilim, prosecuting, told the court he threw items, including mobile phones and his own passport at officers, before being brought down.

“He was shouting at officers that he’d be ‘coming down head first’,” she said.

Coulson had 66 previous convictions, 36 for theft, with 22 total court appearances, the court was told.

A large police cordon was in place for the duration of the stand-off, with businesses losing hours and thousands of pounds in trade.

Hayden Bishop, owner of Carats, was on holiday in Scotland when the incident took place and had to return home early.

In a statement read by Ms Gwilim, he said he lost sleep through stress and anxiety.

The court was told Coulson’s crimes took him and his partner by surprise.

“Although the items were recovered, Mr Bishop said numerous items were damaged,” Ms Gwilim said.

“This included £9,890 worth of jewellery, which was damaged and could no longer be sold.

“They also had to replace the entry point window for £980, cabinets worth £1,285, a fire cabinet worth £200 plus a cash tin for £25.

“They had to close the store all day and all the following day.”

Mr Bishop estimated Carats lost £4,500 for two days’ takings.

Ian Bishop, co-owner of Carats, said he feared the burglary would lead to a loss of reputation.

Callum Munday, in mitigation, said Coulson expressed remorse for his crimes.

He said his client admitted guilt both at the scene and during police interviews.

He guided officers to a bush, where the car keys stolen from Europcar were stashed. The Mercedes was also returned undamaged, the court was told.

Mr Munday said Coulson had a difficult upbringing and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He also referenced several family incidents which affected his client.

Mr Munday said Coulson ‘fell off the wagon’ relapsing into a drug addiction six weeks before the spree.

He also lived and shared accommodation with other ex-offenders, being exposed to a ‘pro-crime attitude and drug taking’, and struggled to find work.

For the three burglaries, Judge Pugh sentenced Coulson to two years’ imprisonment, to be served concurrently.

He will serve and additional six months for the public nuisance offence.