A 'professional criminal' who was on the run seemingly taunting police on social media from a beach abroad has finally been jailed.
Luke McInerney, 30, of White Horse Road in Wroughton, was sentenced for burglary dwelling and theft without violence at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, March 7.
The 30-year-old pleaded guilty to trespassing into a property on Chamberlain Road on September 11, 2023, where he stole a large amount of jewellery and other items to an unknown value.
Following the incident, he fled abroad and officers searching for him issued a public appeal in October 2023.
They were taunted by a Facebook account operated by someone claiming to be McInerney.
Commenting on a police Facebook post appealing for information about McInerney’s whereabouts, the account said: “If you offer a reward I’ll tell you where I am."
Read More: Man admits to threatening someone with knife in Swindon
“Swindon Police, how much will you offer to hand myself in? Let’s come to some sort of arrangement, this holiday [is] getting expensive,” it added in another comment.
“Here’s where I am,” he said.
“Look, it even says my name on my hat. Catch me if you can, yeah.”
He was finally arrested after arriving back in the UK at the beginning of the year, where he was remanded in custody after appearing at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Friday, January 10.
Four other charges had been proved in his absence, including threatening to damage or destroy property in Pinehurst twice on December 31, 2022, by telling a woman "be prepared, you're going to get smashed up, what we say, we do and we keep our promises."
He also told her he would "smash all these windows in, smash your caravan in and smash all your car windows in."
Read More: Drug dealer caught with cocaine and over £10K cash
McInerney then used threatening, abusive or insulting words to cause fear of violence to the same woman and beat another woman on April 30, 2022.
He pleaded guilty to failing without reasonable cause to surrender to custody at Swindon Magistrates' Court on November 6, 2023, after being released on bail in criminal proceedings on September 16, 2023.
In January, he was jailed for a total of six months due to the seriousness of the offences.
His court records said that he has a "flagrant disregard for people and their property" and "the number and nature of the offences shows that the defendant is operating as a professional criminal."
On March 7, McInerney was handed an 18-month custodial sentence for the burglary offence.
Share