Ram-raid dad and his son get 34 years
THE number of children in care has soared by 28 per cent in the past decade and is at a 10-year high, figures reveal.
More than 78,000 youngsters are being looked after by local authorities, according to the latest data released by the Department for Education.
The Local Government Association, which analysed the numbers, said the system is at breaking point, as rising demand and funding shortages put immense strain on councils. Councillor Judith Blake, chairwoman of its Children and Young People Board, said the situation was “unsustainable”.
She said: “These figures show the sheer scale of the unprecedented demand pressures on children’s services and the care system this decade.
“Councils want to make sure that children can get the best, rather than just get by, and that means investing in the right services to reach them at the right time.”
The data also showed that in the past decade there has been a 139 per cent increase in serious cases where the local authority believes a child may be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.
Councils have also seen a 53 per cent increase in youngsters on child protection plans – an additional 18,160 children.
A FATHER and son who organised a shop ram-raid in which a gang fled with £124,000 of jewellery and Rolex watches have been jailed for a total of 34 years.
Career criminal Elliott Burton, 49, took a leading role in the 45-second robbery with his son Connor, 27, and three other masked crooks.
Stunned shoppers watched as one gang member smashed a BMW car into the front of the shop.
A smoke grenade was hurled into the shop to terrify staff while another thug threatened onlookers with a machete.
Gang members used baseball bats, hammers and axes to smash display cases in Michael Jones Jeweller in Northampton to grab Rolex watches and diamond jewellery.
CCTV footage caught the men escaping by speeding down the pavement in a getaway car after the road was blocked by a bus.
One staff member was injured in the robbery on December 14, 2018.
Burton Snr, of Kings Heath, Birmingham, was found guilty of conspiring to commit robbery and was jailed for 20 years at Northampton Crown Court. His son, also of Birmingham, was found guilty of the same charge and jailed for 14 years. Police are still hunting other members of the gang.
They were also convicted of conspiring to rob a Swindon jewellers and jailed for 10 and seven years more years respectively, to run concurrently.
Judge Michael Fowler said: “It cannot be said for certain either of you were involved physically in the robbery. But you were at the very least part of a gang of robbers who did your bidding.”