A burglar who targeted homes in Braintree, Essex, over the festive period has been sentenced to 21 months in prison.
Adam Watts, 24, of Temple Lane, Silver End, admitted at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, January 28, to burglary, attempted burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, fraud by false representation and possession of cannabis.
Between 00:01 hours on Tuesday, December 25, and 0500 hours on Wednesday, December 2, Watts broke into a home in Romney Close and stole the keys to a vehicle, a handbag and a wallet.
He drove off with the vehicle before using a store card to purchase a new television in Colchester.
At 0250 hours on Boxing Day, Watts rang the doorbell of
This particular incident shows the growing popularity of home CCTV security systems as better technology means even better images are being captured by homeowners of people who have tried to break into their properties .
Officers from Essex Police attended Watts’ address on Friday, December 28, and found the new TV and stolen store card.
The following day Officers stopped a vehicle that Watts was travelling in and he ran off.
He was found shortly afterwards hiding on a shed roof, where he waited for 40 minutes.
Investigating officer DC Gemma White, of Braintree CID, said:
“Watts showed no thought for the victim of his first burglary, breaking into and searching his home while he was away celebrating Christmas.
“He took the victim’s possessions and his car before having the audacity to buy a brand new TV using the victim’s store card.
“Watts left a trail of evidence that proved he was responsible for a number of offence and it didn’t take long for us to find him.
“His attempts to run off were in vain thanks to the good work of a dog handler and he now faces a possible prison sentence.”
If you have a story, video or one-off blog that you would like to share with us, then you can contact our team of former emergency services & armed forces personnel either through our Facebook page, via Twitter ( @ES_News_ ) or you can contact us via email: contact@emergency-services.news
If you run or manage a ‘job’ social media account and you would like us to share one of your stories then send us a tweet or a message!
If you would like to write an article that you would like us to share (it can be about anything to do with the emergency services / NHS) whether you serve in the emergency services / NHS or whether you are a member of the public who has had a good experience with the emergency services, then feel free to contact our team; anonymously if you prefer.
We are proud to act as a voice for the emergency services, armed forces & health service, with over 500,000 people visiting our website each month.
Before you go...
We need your help. As former emergency services & armed forces personnel, we pride ourselves on bringing you important, fast-moving and breaking news stories & videos which are free from the negative bias which is often directed at the emergency services & NHS by some sections of the mainstream media.
One of the reasons we started 'Emergency Services News' back in 2018 was because we became tired of reading badly informed stories about the emergency services & NHS which seemed only ever to highlight negative aspects of the job.
We want to be the unheard voice of the remarkable men and women who serve in the emergency services, NHS and armed forces. And with around 500k page views each month, we are getting there!
As income from ads, the mainstay source of income for most publishers, continues to decline; we need the help of you, our readers.
You can support emergency services news from as little as £1. It only takes a minute. Every contribution, however big or small, is vital for our future.
Please help us to continue to highlight the life-saving work of the emergency services, NHS and armed forces by becoming a supporter.
