THREE burglars responsible for a spate of pharmacy raids in York this summer are today all behind bars.

Daniel Shaun Eden, 36, Philip Noble, 37, and Sean James Beard, 25, all stole prescription medicines and other items as they carried out the burglaries in the Acomb area.

Former armed shop robber Eden, of Bramham Road, Chapelfields, carried out two burglaries on Boots the Chemists on Front Street. The first was on July 19, when he stole cosmetics, and the second on September 1, when he stole medicines. He raided Day Lewis Pharmacy, also on Front Street on September 5, when he stole medicines and other items.

Andrew Horton, prosecuting, told York Crown Court that CCTV footage of the final raid captured Eden coming and going for half an hour as he made repeated trips to steal from the shop.

All Eden’s raids were carried out at night when the shops were closed.

Last month, York magistrates heard how Noble, of Chapelfields Road, Acomb, and Beard of Jute Road, off Beckfield Lane, Acomb, carried out a second raid on Day Lewis Pharmacy on September 13 and Noble raided MJ Roberts Pharmacy on Boroughbridge Road on July 26.

They jailed Noble, who admitted two burglaries, for 40 weeks, and Beard, who admitted one burglary, for 24 weeks.

Jailing Eden for 23 months at York Crown Court, Judge Andrew Stubbs QC said about his crimes: “I find this campaign against pharmacies is so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

Eden admitted three burglaries and two thefts.

Mr Horton said he stole sunglasses worth £800 from Tesco’s on July 22. Security staff there managed to wrestle him to the ground but he got away. A day later police found him unconscious on the ground with the stolen items.

On August 13 he stole £22 of meat from Sainsbury’s.

He has a long history of crime including serving an eight-year prison sentence imposed in 2009 for an armed shop robbery in Shambles when he pointed a BB gun at a jeweller’s assistant.

For Eden, Laura Addy said he had kept out of trouble for some time after being released from prison and stole to fund medicines as he suffered from anxiety and paranoia and wasn’t happy with the medicine he was being prescribed legally.

The barrister said Eden claimed his mental illness made it difficult to leave his house.

The judge said he had reverted back to being a “determined criminal committed to acquisitive crime”.