Prosecco-swilling Gay's the Word bookshop burglars caught red-handed by police

A pair of Prosecco-drinking burglars have been sentenced after police caught the two men knocking back alcohol during a break-in at Gay's the Word bookshop.

Police were called to the famous Soho store just after 3 a.m. on Sunday (9th February) and found the burglars had stopped to enjoy Prosecco left over from a bookshop event.

Manager Jim MacSweeney said he assumed the shop had been targeted in a homophobic attack when he was told police were outside the shop,.

He told The Bookseller: "That was disturbing. Finding out it was burglary was more of a pain, although it’s still distressing, certainly. Although why they would break into a bookshop I don’t know. Obviously the words of Foucault were drawing them in."

MacSweeney added: "We have some bottles left over from events and obviously they stopped for a drink. They were in our basement drinking a bottle of Prosecco when the police came."

He said a bottle of tequila had also been drained by the men.

The burglars, who also attempted to take around £20 in cash according to the Crown Prosecution Service, were caught before they could steal anything.

Staff shared news of the burglary in a Facebook post which was viewed more than 190,000 times around the world, leading to a torrent of supportive messages from as far afield as the US and New Zealand.

MacSweeney said: "All of that does just help let people know we exist. It was so heartening. Rather than getting distressed we got so many messages from people. We just feel really held by the community."

On Monday, Colin Taylor, aged 49, of Endsleigh Gardens, Camden, was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to burglary.

At the Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court hearing, Stephen Gannon, 46, of the same address, was sentenced to 16 weeks, suspended for 12 months, after admitting the same offence.