A burglar who ransacked a Nottingham home during a break-in has been jailed.
Carl O’Dowd carried out an ‘untidy search’ of the house in Ewart Road, Forest Fields, before stealing items including laptop computers, phones, keys, cash, jewellery and bank cards.
The victim returned home around 10pm on 29 August 2024 to discover the break-in.
He then found out one of the stolen bank cards had been used at a nearby convenience store only minutes later.
A stolen card would then be used again at a Nottingham petrol station in the early hours of the following day.
Detectives analysed CCTV footage and carried out other local inquiries while supporting the victim.
They also made use of facial recognition software to help identify O’Dowd as the offender.
Officers from Leicestershire Police arrested O’Dowd and linked him to an earlier burglary in Leicester.
Bank cards were also among the items taken during this break-in on 31 July 2024 in St Peter’s Road.
O’Dowd initially denied the offences before eventually changing his plea to guilty.
Fifty-five-year-old O’Dowd, of Brick Kiln Lane, Loughborough, Leicestershire, admitted two counts of burglary and four counts of fraud by false representation.
He was jailed for a total of three years and three months at Leicester Crown Court on Friday (14 March).
Detective Constable Tim Townsend, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“The weight of evidence gathered against O’Dowd gave him little choice but to admit these offences.
“I’m pleased a persistent burglar with an unenviable record of past offending is now behind bars.
“Officers worked hard on the investigation and liaised closely with colleagues from Leicestershire to achieve this outcome in court.
“The force has dedicated teams of detectives working on burglary investigations and we understand how upsetting it is for anyone to come home and discover their home has been broken into and belongings taken.”
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