Trespassers snuck into The SSE Arena and made off with £50 worth of sandwiches before linking up with an accomplice to burgle Wembley Stadium

Employee personal possessions were taken by the culprets at the famous arched arena in Engineers Way, Wembley, which has a capacity of 90,000 and is home to England’s football team.

Abbas Al Sa’ed, 20, of Kings Drive, Wembley, along with Ashraf Altaher, 20, of Southampton, Hants, and Mohammed Khan, 19, of Church Lane, Kingsbury, and formerly of Greystone Court, Hanger Lane, west London, committed the thefts on the same day - April 2 - when the venue was not holding an event.

Detective Constable Ketan Gami from Brent CID said: “I am pleased with this result. By working in partnership with Wembley Stadium and The SSE Arena, Wembley security staff and the FA we were quick to arrest, charge and convict these men and I hope this conviction serves as a warning to anyone looking to commit crime on this borough.”

In a statement, police said: “On Wednesday April 2, Al Sa’ed and Khan gained entry to a building on the site and took two boxes of sandwiches.

“They then went over to the stadium and gained entry inside, where Al Sa’ed took a drawstring bag and Khan took a fleece jacket.

“They returned twice the same day and again gained entry with Altaher.

“On this occasion they were disturbed by stadium staff.

“Security staff viewed the CCTV and found that Al Sa’ed and Khan had earlier that day entered the stadium. This was then reported to police.

“On Thursday April 3, Al Sa’ed, Altaher and a third male attempted to gain entry into the stadium.

“Security staff recognised two of the men and police were called.”

Al Sa’ed admitted one count of burglary in which he took the sandwiches from The SSE Arena and one in which he grabbed a rucksack from Wembley Stadium.

The 20-year-old was convicted of two other burglaries and an attempted burglary in connection with the same incident.

He was jailed for a year, suspended for a year at Hendon Magistrates’ Court on Monday last week.

Altaher was convicted of burglary and attempted burglary and received a 12-month community order with 90 hours’ unpaid work.

Khan admitted two counts of burglary, and was convicted of a further two.

He stole the sandwiches along with a staff jacket, a Wembley Stadium bag and a staff badge worth a combined £20. The magistrates jailed him for a year, suspended for a year.

A Wembley Stadium spokesman said: “The arrest and conviction of these men show the success of the Wembley security operation as well as our close links with the Metropolitan Police and local business partners. Security and safety remain top priorities at the stadium."