Six Years For Brazen Burglar

A burglar who targeted eight houses in a six-day crime spree was caught out thanks to forensics, a myriad of stolen items and an unexpected car dash cam recording.

James Connors, 21, targeted his first victim, in Soham, on 15 June 2019. 

A man was upstairs watching TV with his wife when they heard a car door close, so looked outside and saw Connors and another man drive off in their Volkswagen Golf R. They had broken into the house to steal the ignition keys.

Then on 17 June power tools, £130 worth of euros, a Sainsbury’s Nectar card and wallet were stolen in a burglary in Thetford, Norfolk.

The victim returned home from holiday to find their rear patio door smashed, while a neighbour had spotted Connors and others arrive in a white VW Golf.

Two days later, Connors and three other men dressed in dark clothes carried out an aggravated burglary in Mildenhall using the same stolen car.

The men used a crowbar to break a patio door window and two were confronted in the property by the homeowner.

They threatened the victim with the crowbar but were chased out of the house.

Connors was then involved in four more burglaries that day:

With two other men he targeted a house in King Street, Somersham. The burglary was discovered when a neighbour noticed the family’s dog was outside. He investigated and found the back door had been smashed. The victim returned home and checked his CCTV which showed the burglary and the men running off at 1.13pm, with one of them jumping on the shed roof to avoid the dog. Four watches worth £4,000 were stolen from the house.

A house in Chapel Close, Hilton, was broken into with various items, including a china frog, stolen.

Two homes in Staploe, St Neots, had items stolen including gold jewellery, alcohol, coins, shotguns, a rifle and various items of jewellery.
That same evening, the white VW Golf collided with another car and those inside the Golf fled on foot - a number of them carrying long-barrelled firearms. The Golf was recovered by police and found to be the vehicle stolen from Soham four days earlier.

A myriad of stolen items were found in the boot of the car, including three of the stolen watches from the Somersham burglary, the china frog from the Hilton house, stolen jewellery from both St Neots addresses and the stolen Nectar card and wallet from the Thetford property.

Forensics teams carried out a search of the Golf and a full DNA match to Connors, of Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, was found on the driver’s airbag.

Connors was arrested and initially gave a fake name and date of birth to police. He refused to answer questions.

A further breakthrough came when Connors was linked to another burglary in Norfolk. Three men were caught on a car’s dashcam footage which, unknowingly to the victim, had recorded the moments leading up to the burglary in Howdale Road, Downham Market.

Police were called at just before 3pm on 6 November 2018 by the victim, who told them he had found two men in his kitchen after coming downstairs. He gave detailed descriptions of the men, and told police how he had challenged the pair who then ran out of his back door.

His car’s dash cam had been recording and caught Connors and his accomplices on camera.

Their getaway car was found abandoned eight days later and checks showed it was registered to an address in Beck Row, Bury St Edmunds.

The car was forensically examined and Connors’ DNA was found on a beer bottle from the nearside door pocket.

On the day his trial was due to start, Connors admitted charges of conspiracy to commit burglary with intent to steal between 14 and 20 June 2019, burglary with intent to steal, dangerous driving and obstructing a PC.

He was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court  where he was handed a total of six years and eight months in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for three years and four months.