A burglar was jailed after a neighbour caught him in the act.
Mark Colman, 23, was spotted having forced the front door of a home in Lime Avenue, Wisbech, on 31 May this year.
The neighbour alerted the homeowner that someone was in her home.
It prompted her to call police who arrived but unfortunately the intruder had already left.
Reviewing the neighbour’s video doorbell footage, the police recognised the suspect as Colman who they had seen in the area as they were responding to the emergency call.
Colman was found nearby and arrested after a foot chase.
Coleman, of Westfield Road, March, had taken two 49” wall-mounted televisions, a DVD rack containing about 30 Xbox games, an Xbox 1 games console and a red circular wood saw from the house.
He also forced a window of a VW camper van that was on the driveway, before taking a small television.
Colman initially denied charges of burglary and theft from a motor vehicle and was set for trial at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (Tuesday).
However, he changed his plea and was sentenced to 621 days – about one year and eight months – in prison.
Detective Constable Stefan Karanja, who investigated, said: “Burglary can have such devastating effects on our communities, often leaving people feeling unsafe in their own homes after intruders have entered their property.
“This was a great response by the local neighbourhood policing team who were in the area and were able to act quickly, resulting in Colman being apprehended not far from the scene.”
Advice on how to best protect your home from burglars can be found on the force website here.
