Peterborough man jailed after attempted burglary caught on doorbell camera

The occupant of a home in Leaf Avenue, Hampton Hargate, woke up on 24 October to find his garden gate was open.

Upon checking his CCTV cameras, he saw a man in the garden trying door handles of his house and peering through the windows.

Police were alerted and the man in the footage was identified as a known burglar, 21-year-old Vitalijus Beliajevas.

Beliajevas, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with attempted burglary with intent to steal, which he admitted in court.

On Tuesday, 14 December, he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court where he was sentenced to a year in prison, as well as having a previously suspended eight-month sentence for burglaries in Peterborough activated, taking his total sentence to a year and eight months.

DC George Corney, who investigated, said: “This case shows just how valuable home security such as CCTV can be in assisting us with our investigations. The cameras on the victim’s home caught Beliajevas in the act which enabled us to identify him and take swift action.

“I would urge members of the public to invest in home security measures such as CCTV where possible as they can act as a deterrent but also help catch offenders if you are unfortunate enough to find your home targeted by burglars.”