A blood smear and a muddy footprint helped detectives catch and charge a burglar.
Adrian Perry inadvertently left both pieces of evidence behind while breaking into a cake shop.
The 56-year-old made a beeline for the tills after smashing a glass window and clambering through it. He then helped himself to any cash he could find, smashing the till on the floor and grabbing the coins that fell out.
With the money in his pockets, Perry made his way out of the shop through the same window he had used to get inside.
The 4 January overnight break-in at the shop on Carrington Street, Nottingham city centre, was discovered by staff hours later.
As well as leaving a smashed till and glass window in his wake, Perry also accidentally left a trail of evidence for police to follow.
Blood was discovered on the window frame after the intruder cut himself, while a muddy footprint was on a toilet seat he had stood on.
When forensic testing of the blood sample revealed it had come from Adrian Perry, plans were put in place to locate and arrest him.
He was caught on Wednesday (15 January), while a search of the property where he was led to a pair of trainers being discovered that looked familiar.
Further analysis of the pattern on the sole of the shoes showed them to be strikingly similar to the ones left behind at the store on the muddy footprint.
Faced with the mounting evidence against him, Perry was left with no alternative but to plead guilty to burglary when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (16 January).
He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay the shop owner £250 in compensation. Perry must also complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days as part of his sentence.
Detective Constable Tim Townsend, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Thanks to the airtight case built against him by our team of detectives, Perry was left with nowhere to go when he was charged with this offence.
“After spotting a sample of blood and a muddy footprint he’d left behind at the scene, we were able to run the tests necessary to identify Perry as the person responsible.
“This burglary once again showed the true value forensic analysis can have in helping us track down someone we’re looking for, whether that be an intruder involved in a break-in or another offence.”
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