A discarded torch helped officers shine a light on who’d broken into a sandwich shop.
Angus Mason smashed a window before climbing into Subway, Sutton-in-Ashfield, in the early hours.
He then went to the counter, ripped out the till and made his exit – crawling over broken glass as he did so.
While he was lucky to not leave any blood behind by doing that, Mason still left a forensics trail for police to follow.
The intruder – who stole around £100 in cash – forgot to pick up a torch he’d dropped during the burglary on 10 January 2026.
The flashlight was recovered soon after by crime scene investigators, who swabbed it for forensic opportunities and duly found Mason’s DNA all over it.
A month after the offence and officers were out conducting plain clothes patrols in Sutton-in-Ashfield when they spotted Mason.
Knowing he’d been circulated as a burglary suspect, the county priority tasking team quickly moved in and arrested the intruder on 10 February.
After realising police had got their hands on the torch he’d left behind, Mason quickly confessed to being responsible for the break-in.
The stop represented the third prolific burglar from Ashfield that the priority tasking team have caught and put before the courts in the last two months alone.
Mason, of Woods Hill, Sutton-in-Ashfield, attended Mansfield Magistrates’ Court for his first hearing last Thursday (26 February).
Having pleaded guilty to burglary, the 43-year-old was then sentenced to five months in prison and ordered to pay £150 in compensation.
Sergeant Jonny Groves, of the county priority tasking team, said:
“The value of forensics, communication between policing teams and plain clothes patrols were all showcased in this investigation.
“Focusing on forensics first, crime scene investigators did a great job finding a torch Mason had left behind during this burglary.
“This enabled us to link him to the offence, with his face and name then being circulated to all the policing teams in the area – including ours.
“My team then reacted brilliantly when they spotted and detained Mason during one of our plain clothes patrols.
“He actually represents the third prolific burglar from the area we’ve managed to help lock up in the past two months, so we’re really pleased.”
