Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Our criminal defence solicitors provide clear legal advice and representation for people facing allegations of burglary, robbery and related offences. We can advise you from the initial investigation and police interview through to court proceedings, helping you understand the allegations, evidence and legal options available to you.
Criminal Defence Advice
An arrest for burglary or robbery can leave you facing serious allegations before you have seen the evidence said to identify you or explain your role. Our defence solicitors help you understand the charge and give you a confidential opportunity to set out your account. We examine the circumstances of entry, the property involved and any alleged force, rather than treating all property-related offences as the same case.
These investigations often depend on several pieces of evidence being linked together, including CCTV, phone records, recovered items and witness identification. Our legal team checks what each item actually establishes and whether the prosecution's account of your involvement is supported. We can advise from interview through Crown Court preparation, including allegations involving weapons or other defendants, and explain how the offence charged affects plea, trial and sentencing decisions.
Burglary generally concerns entry into a building or part of one as a trespasser with a specified criminal intent, or certain conduct after entry, under the Theft Act 1968. Robbery involves theft with force or threatened force used immediately before or at the time in order to steal. Aggravated burglary has additional requirements concerning a qualifying weapon at the relevant time. The legal distinction matters because evidence of taking property does not automatically establish every element of each offence.
Burglary allegations can concern homes, businesses or other premises, while robbery involves an allegation that property was taken or attempted to be taken using force or threats. We establish the conduct attributed to you and review the evidence said to place you at the scene or connect you with property, vehicles or other suspects.
Evidence can include CCTV, doorbell footage, phone location data, messages, witness identification, fingerprints, DNA, recovered property and vehicle records. Where several people are alleged to have acted together, we focus on the role the prosecution says you played and the material said to support it.
Our police station advice can cover identification, recovered property and the conduct alleged before a charging decision.
Robbery, aggravated burglary and other serious burglary allegations can lead to Crown Court proceedings and may include connected assault or weapons charges. If you are charged, we can obtain the papers, review the evidence and work with an appropriately instructed barrister.
A weapon allegation may require advice on connected weapons offences and the effect of the item on the burglary or robbery charge.
A defence can be undermined by treating each exhibit in isolation and ignoring how the prosecution combines them. Recovered property, location evidence and an identification may together require a detailed explanation, although none should be overstated. Presence with other suspects does not automatically prove participation, but assistance or encouragement can be legally significant. We analyse timing, attribution and the alleged role while identifying unreliable identification or gaps in the sequence.
These cases often involve several different types of evidence at once. We bring CCTV, identification material, phone data, forensic evidence and your instructions together so the case is prepared around what is actually said to connect you with the incident.
If the allegation proceeds to the Crown Court, we can continue managing the case while working with the barrister instructed for court. Connected assault, weapons or bail issues can be dealt with as part of the same preparation rather than as separate problems.
Identification disputes, forensic evidence and multi-defendant proceedings can increase the work needed beyond the initial interview. We outline costs for preparation, conferences, advocacy and the expected hearings, including VAT where applicable and expert expenses. If the allegation changes or the trial estimate increases, we explain the resulting fee implications; potential compensation or confiscation following conviction is a separate consideration.
We do not accept legal aid instructions. If you choose our firm, we will agree our fees with you before substantive work begins.
Burglary & Robbery FAQs
Common questions about CCTV, forensic evidence, weapons, Crown Court proceedings and costs.
Evidence can include CCTV, doorbell footage, fingerprints, DNA, phone data, vehicle records, witness identification and recovered property. We examine whether the material establishes entry, timing and the required intent, including any legitimate explanation for contact with the premises.
Robbery cases can involve witness accounts, CCTV, medical evidence, recovered property, weapons evidence, phone material and identification evidence. The evidence must address the theft and the alleged use or threat of force in order to steal, as well as your participation.
The police may look at who had access to the location, who controlled the property and other evidence linking people to the item. We focus on the evidence attributed to you.
Yes. You can instruct a solicitor during the police investigation before any charging decision has been made. This can be particularly useful before an identification procedure or interview about recovered property, so advice addresses the actual evidence being put to you.
A separate knife or weapons offence may also be investigated or charged. We can review the weapons allegation alongside the burglary or robbery case. The type of item, who possessed it and when it was present can affect the offence charged and the sentencing position.
Yes. Group cases can involve allegations about different roles and different evidence against each person. We focus on the conduct and evidence attributed to you.
Robbery and aggravated burglary are dealt with in the Crown Court. Other burglary charges require assessment of the applicable allocation rules and circumstances. We check the precise charge, any relevant previous convictions and the stage reached before explaining the hearing route and preparation needed.
Fees depend on the seriousness, amount of evidence, number of defendants, hearings and whether the case proceeds to Crown Court trial. We can explain the likely costs before you decide to instruct us.
DNA may connect a person to a sample, but its significance depends on where it was found, how it may have arrived and the other evidence. It does not always establish when contact occurred or prove unlawful entry. We consider the forensic findings alongside any legitimate explanation and the alleged timeline.
Potentially, if the prosecution proves the legal basis for your participation in the offence, including the necessary mental element. Mere presence is not enough by itself. We examine any alleged agreement, assistance or encouragement and distinguish your conduct from what other participants are said to have done.
If you have been arrested, released on bail or given a court date, speak to us about the allegation and the evidence available. We can explain the next stage, how we can help and the likely costs.
Arrange a telephone call or visit our Cheltenham office by appointment. We assist clients in Cheltenham and the surrounding Gloucestershire area.
Call 0330 900 0377, email info@pembridgesolicitors.co.uk or request a consultation.
Pembridge Solicitors
Calderwood House, Montpellier Parade
Cheltenham GL50 1UA
Office visits by appointment.