POLICE have charged a thief with four 'sneak in' burglaries in Worcester after using CCTV and bank card records to catch the suspect.
Officers arrested 20-year-old Jacob Telford at 11pm on Wednesday, August 7, on suspicion of a burglary in The Arboretum which happened between 3.40pm and 4.25pm the previous day.
The victim was at home at the time and the offender climbed into the address and stole a wallet containing bank cards, which were subsequently used in shops around Worcester, including at the Commandery service station in Bath Road the same afternoon.
Staff at the service station gave the victim a CCTV image of the suspect, which was forwarded to police who subsequently arrested Telford, of Maple Avenue in Worcester.
Following this, officers within Pro-Active CID Worcester – who focus on burglaries and drug supply – highlighted another three crimes where the offender sneaked in through an open window or insecure door, which they believed may be connected to the Arboretum crime.
The first was a burglary at the Great Western Hotel in Shrub Hill Road, Worcester, between 5.30pm and 7.30pm on July 24, where a man entered a room via an insecure door and stole items including an iPad and mobile phone. The offender was caught on CCTV leaving the premises and police identified him as Telford.
On July 31, a flat in Fish Street, Worcester was burgled between 2am and 5am. The suspect sneaked in through an open window and stole a purse and bank cards, while the victim was at home. The stolen cards were used at around 5am at the Texaco garage in Castle Street, Worcester. There was CCTV footage of the suspect and police identified him as Telford.
Another burglary, in Sansome Mews, Worcester, between midnight and 4am on August 5, saw the offender sneak in through an open window and steal items including a Playstation and controllers, one of which was bright blue.
Enquiries within Worcester showed that Telford had allegedly taken the blue controller to sell at Fast Cash in The Shambles, and it was recovered and confirmed as the stolen item.
Telford was charged with four burglaries, three counts of fraud relating to the use and attempted use of stolen bank cards, and the theft of £30 worth of baby formula milk powder from the Costcutter shop in Rose Avenue, Warndon at 8pm on July 16, after he was identified by staff.
He appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates Court yesterday (Friday August 9), where he admitted the burglary at the Great Western Hotel, the three counts of fraud and the theft from Costcutter.
However, Telford denied committing the burglaries in Fish Street, Sansome Mews and Arboretum, and is now due to stand trial for those charges on September 10 at Worcester Crown Court. He was bailed until that date.
Detective Sergeant Grant Fraser said yesterday: "The charges in regards to Mr Telford are a result of hard work from various departments, and the hard work will continue up until trial.
"The charges relating to Mr Telford will go a long way to protecting the public from further harm.
"Regardless of the recent hot weather, I would still advise members of the public to be mindful in regards to insecure doors and windows even if they are at home. Criminals will look to exploit any opportunity to break in and steal people’s personal belongings, and will have little concern for the time of day or night if that opportunity presents itself."
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