'One man crimewave' who stole from Peterborough and Luton homes jailed after fizzy drink bottle linked him to crimes
A burglar has been put behind bars after he was caught stealing from more than 60 homes in Luton and Peterborough.
Christopher Smith, 38, of no fixed address, usually broke into houses while residents were home, and twice had to escape after he was disturbed.
His DNA was found on a bottle of cherryade at one address and on a spanner he had used to break into another.
The crime spree mainly took place in May this year at addresses across Luton, but Smith also admitted 11 offences in March and April in Peterborough.
He admitted one charge of burglary and two of attempted burglary at Luton Crown Court, and asked for 60 more offences to be taken into consideration.
He was jailed for five and a half years.
Detective Constable Pawel Karpinski of Bedfordshire Police’s specialist residential burglary unit Operation Maze, said: “Smith is a one-man crime wave so it is good that he will be in prison for an extended period.
“It is particularly upsetting that he was prepared to break into homes at times when it was likely that people would be at home.
“We know how disturbing burglaries can be for residents and I hope that the fact that we have managed to tie so many offences to this one man and that he is now behind bars gives some reassurance.
“Burglary is a real priority in the force. We will attend every incident and have one of the highest rates of solving such crime in the country, but there is always more to do and we will continue to target prolific offenders like Smith.”