A burglar has been jailed after a tracker on a van he stole led officers directly to him. Marcus Ellis, 29, was arrested in August after officers tracked down the vehicle that had been stolen in a burglary in Wisbech hours earlier.
Ellis was seen close to the van and, on recognising him for breaching a court order, officers promptly arrested him.
After arriving at custody, officers reviewed doorbell footage from the burgled property and identified Ellis thanks to his distinctive neck tattoo.
The footage showed Ellis and an unknown man entering the house just after the home owner had left and later showed them leaving with items, including the ignition keys for the van parked on the drive.
When officers arrested Ellis outside a house in Wisbech, close to where the van was parked, he was wearing the same clothes seen in the video footage, including distinctive shoes.
Ellis, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of a vehicle and was sentenced to one year and three months in prison at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (8 November).
Detective Constable Rhiann Ward, who investigated, said: “Ellis was foiled by the tracker on the van and a quick-thinking officer, who promptly arrested him for breach of a court order.
“We know the devastating impact burglary can have on victims, which is why tackling it is a force priority.”
For information and crime prevention advice visit the burglary section of Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s website.
After arriving at custody, police reviewed doorbell footage from a burgled property and identified Marcus Ellis thanks to his distinctive neck tattoo.
