James Samuel Jackson, 24, of Woodbridge Grove, Northern Moor, was jailed on August 26 last year after being found guilty at Chester Crown Court after a four-day trial.

He was given concurrent sentences of three years for burglary and 12 months - plus a 12-month driving ban - for aggravated vehicle-taking.

Two co-accused had been sentenced in May and July to 15 months for the burglary after pleading guilty.

Judge Mark Dyer, the Recorder of Bristol, sitting with Lord Justice Clarke and Mr Justice Kay, announced in the Appeal Court in London: "Jackson's burglary sentence was too long in contrast to that on the other two and we reduce it from three years to two."

"His trial judge said he could not distinguish the roles played by the three defendants.

"Jackson had a very bad record - despite his age he had received 10 previous custodial sentences, the longest two years."

"The other defendants had bad records too.

"The only difference was that Jackson had a four-day trial."

Judge Dyer said the three men reversed a Vauxhall car taken from Baguley into the front display of an expensive clothing shop in Knutsford at 11.45pm on March 17 last year and put designer clothes into the car boot.

The raid was recorded on closed-circuit TV and they were arrested at 12.25am.

Crowbars and other equipment were found in the car and £7263-worth of clothing was recovered.

One of Jackson's co-accused, who was 23, was ordered to serve 90 days for breach of early-release licence from a previous sentence before starting his 15-month term for burglary, with which he was given three months concurrent for being in a vehicle taken without consent.

The other, who was sentenced at Mold Crown Court, received thre months concurrent for aggravated vehicle-taking.

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