Business & Technology
Wallingford shop owner says burglar’s sentence ‘not enough’
Stephen Perkins, owner of independent digital repair shop Help I’ve Broken It in St Martin’s Street, Wallingford, said the business is still recovering from the burglary it suffered last October.
The shop owner discovered the windows smashed in, displays broken, devices damaged and thousands of pounds worth of electronics stolen on the morning of October 15.
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Jonathon Dobson, of Tudor Close, Wallingford, was sentenced to two years in jail and an 18-month driving ban for that and other offences at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday, April 22.
Mr Perkins said the sentence doesn’t stack up against the impact of his actions.
“It’s not enough,” he said. “It just isn’t enough.
“It’s nice that he’s been sentenced and we know he’s not on the streets of Wallingford anymore, but at the same time, in six months times he’s going to be back out, in Wallingford, probably doing the same again.
“It doesn’t seem a very harsh lesson for the amount of damage that he’s done.”
The sentencing saw 44-year-old Dobson face the consequences for offences including two non-dwelling burglaries, theft from cars and theft of e-bikes in Wallingford, driving while under the influence of alcohol and driving without a licence or insurance.
All the offences were committed on the same day of the break-in at Mr Perkin’s store, on October 15 last year.
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Dobson was caught with 59 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath after the crime spree, well over the 35 micrograms per 100ml legal driving limit.
The court heard that after stealing high value goods like mobile phones and sat navs from Help I’ve Broken It, causing the store to lose around four days of trading and items worth £3,000, he then drove to Wyatt Way and stole two e-bikes, worth £4,030.
Then, in the same road, he broke into several vehicles and stole items such as a jacket, wallet and brown bag.
He then broke into a nearby garage and made off with spirits, Champagne, beer and power tools valued at £1,200.
Mr Perkins said: “The court heard it was £3,000 but our insurance claim was around £11,500 worth. It wasn’t a little deal.
“The police did do their due diligence. I’m glad they caught the bloke, but it’s a shame they never managed to tag anybody else along with it our find our devices.
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“We’re not fully recovered yet. We’re still recouping some of the costs of it, which we’re never going to do I think. We’re just going to have to take the hit and carry on.”
Gordana Austin, mitigating counsel, asked the judge for a suspended sentence as Dobson ‘has motivation to change’ and, having spent six months in custody awaiting his court date, is ‘now free of drugs and alcohol’.
Judge Hassan Khan handed Dobson a two-year prison sentence and banned him from the road for 18 months for the driving offences.
Bernard Matthews has swapped its frozen coated poultry products -including dinosaurs and Twizzlers – from turkey to chicken.
The shift comes after consumer taste tests revealed a clear preference for the change.
Sustainability and concerns about the potential impact of bird flu on future turkey supplies are both understood to have factored into the decision.
The only exception to the change is the company’s Hamwich product, which will continue to use turkey.
A Bernard Matthews spokesman said: “Kids will still be able to play with their food with dinosaurs and unicorns still on the menu.
“But through a series of taste tests, consumers told us they prefer chicken.”
Turkey dinosaurs were on sale for roughly four decades, from their launch in the early 1980s until the 2026 switch to chicken-only versions.
Norfolk’s Bernard Matthews, who built his fortune on turkey products and made the phrase “bootiful” famous, died in 2010.
CATHERINE KNOWLES
News Editor
Doxis has been named a Leader in Gartner’s 2026 Magic Quadrant for Document Management, marking the second consecutive year it has received the designation.
Gartner assessed 16 document management vendors on ability to execute and completeness of vision. The ranking followed updates to Doxis’ core document automation platform and a broader push into artificial intelligence tools for document handling.
The Bonn-based software supplier employs more than 600 staff across 20 offices in 11 countries. It counts DHL, Allianz, UBS and BASF among its customers, and says its software is used by more than 3,000 customers and 5 million users in more than 150 countries.
Platform updates
Among the changes highlighted were additions to intelligent document processing through Doxis AI.dp, semantic search tools, AI-assisted user features and cloud administration. Doxis also expanded integrations with SAP, SuccessFactors and Salesforce, while continuing to invest in workflow orchestration and connections with broader enterprise systems.
Doxis says its platform combines content storage, governance, process automation and AI-based services within a single architecture. It is aimed at organisations with document-heavy processes in sectors including banking, insurance, manufacturing, logistics and energy.
The recognition follows a period of growth and a rebrand to Doxis, The Document Intelligence Company. The business has sharpened its focus on intelligent content automation across the document lifecycle, including investments in document processing, SAP automation and customer communications software.
Market focus
Doxis operates in a crowded market that includes large software groups and specialist document management providers. In promoting the announcement, it linked the recognition to execution in artificial intelligence and user experience as it competes with companies such as Microsoft and Box.
Document management software has come under closer scrutiny as companies look for ways to organise large volumes of information, automate routine processes and prepare internal data for broader use in AI systems. Suppliers have been adding search, classification and extraction tools as businesses seek to reduce manual work and bring records from different systems into a more consistent structure.
Doxis has framed that shift around what it calls document intelligence, describing it as a way to create a common language across systems so organisations can extract more value from their information. It argues that this approach is becoming a core part of enterprise AI strategy as businesses try to connect fragmented document stores with operational workflows.
Dr. John Bates, Chief Executive Officer of Doxis, said: “We feel this recognition as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant reflects how powerful the Doxis platform is for customers as they rapidly transform to be ‘AI-ready’ – underpinning their IT foundations with a Document Intelligence platform that truly connects, understands and automates information across the whole document lifecycle. After a year of strong growth, strategic investments, and our rebrand to Doxis, The Document Intelligence Company, we believe this recognition reflects both the momentum we’re building globally as a fast-growing vendor and the unique value we offer customers.”
Milton Post Office closed its former branch at 11H Milton Park on Tuesday, April 28 at the end of the day, and has now reopened in a bigger, more modern premises.
The postmaster opened up shop at Signal Yard, 7b Park Square in Milton Park, on Thursday, April 30.
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Previously vacant, the new shop has been refurbished to incorporate a cards and stationary store within the post office.
There are two low-screened, modern serving points, and the new premises is about 500m from the previous branch, with parking and disabled parking available.
Zoe Hall, Post Office retail change lead, said: “We know how important a Post Office is to a community and the new, fully refurbished, premises looks great and there is a well-stocked store.”
Milton Post Office’s opening hours remain Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm.
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