Lucozade-Drinking Burglar Fails To Out-run Police

A burglar couldn’t escape the long arm of the law despite downing a bottle of Lucozade in a car he had stolen in Cambridge.

In fact, it was DNA left on the bottle of the sports drink by 27-year-old Thomas Lee that led to his arrest and charge.

Lee, who is also known as Thomas Mahoney, entered a property in Mansfield Way, Cambridge, via the patio doors late on 8 May or in the early hours of the following morning.

He stole keys to the Volkswagen Golf parked on the driveway and drove off in it.

The next morning the victim woke to discover his car had been stolen and contacted police.

Officers found a jar in the undergrowth on the driveway that had contained the car keys and had been removed from the kitchen. Forensic examination of the jar revealed Lee’s fingerprints.

Then on 10 May the stolen car was found in Church End, Weston Colville, and discovered the discarded Lucozade bottle in the car.

Lee, of Carr Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk, was arrested and went on to admit a charge of burglary.

At Peterborough Crown Court he was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Detective Inspector Colin Norden said: “Lee clearly thought nothing of going into someone else’s home in the middle of the night and stealing from them.

“This type of incident can have a long-term impact on victims, making them fearful in their own home. Tackling burglary is one of our top priorities as we aim to make our neighbourhoods safer for everyone.”