A criminal who absconded from an open prison was found and arrested after stealing items from students during a burglary.
Alan Steel broke into a shared house in Lenton, Nottingham on the morning of 4 June 2022.
He stole electrical goods and jewellery from three bedrooms.
The 42-year-old left with the belongings after being disturbed by an occupant.
He was later caught on CCTV, around two hours later, trying to sell items in a shop.
Steel, of no fixed address, had absconded from HMP Sudbury in Derbyshire on 31 May 2022.
He had been jailed in 2007 after causing the death of 32-year-old woman by dangerous driving in Sunderland.
Following inquiries, including checking CCTV footage, Nottinghamshire Police officers tracked down and arrested Steel, on 5 June 2022, and they went on to recover stolen items from an address in Carlton.
Steel subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of escaping lawful custody and was found guilty of three charges of burglary.
He was given a two-year prison sentence when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (20 April 2023).
Detective Sergeant Simon Carter, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I welcome the fact Steel is now back behind bars where he belongs and I’m pleased we were able to reunite the victims with items he stole from them.
“I’d like to commend PC Cora Marks who worked very hard on this case and whose extensive inquiries helped secure this conviction.
“The force treats all reports of burglary seriously and continues to work tirelessly all year round to prevent incidents from happening in the first place.
“Members of the public can have faith that reports will be investigated, and we will relentlessly pursue individuals believed to be responsible for these sort of upsetting crimes.”
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