Three burglars who were caught red-handed on a crime spree in rural Nottinghamshire have been jailed.
Police spotted the men in Oldcotes, near Worksop, after being alerted to an earlier break-in 20 miles away.
The three men, Jake Hodgetts, Andrew Gaskin and Terry Nichol, tried to run away but were quickly detained by officers.
They appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday (15 November 2022) and were jailed for a combined total of 59 months after each admitted burglary.
Nichol, aged 27, of Ingram Street, Leeds, received a 27-month jail sentence while 28-year-old Gaskin, of Chestnut Court, Bentley, Doncaster, and Hodgetts, aged 30, of West End Avenue, Doncaster, were each locked up for 16 months.
Officers were first alerted when they received a call from a resident in Kirton, near Newark, reporting that her neighbour’s home had been broken into at around 4.40pm on 1 June 2022.
It was discovered the back door of the property had been kicked in, and when the householder returned from holiday, he confirmed that two jewellery boxes had been swiped in the raid.
The witness had taken part of a vehicle registration number of a car seen driving away from the scene and using ANPR cameras officers caught up with the vehicle parked up in Styrrup Road, Oldcotes, where the men were arrested.
It was later discovered the car had been stolen from an address in Sheffield and was being driven with false plates.
Police Constable Jasdip Hayer, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a great bit of police work by the officers on patrol that day and shows the force’s commitment to tackling burglary and putting burglars behind bars.
“We were able to piece together a case against these three men and I am pleased they have now been given custodial sentences.
“Behind every burglary is a person and a family who have been the victim of an extremely upsetting crime. This is why we take burglary so seriously.
“No one should have to come home and find their home has been ransacked and belongings stolen. The force has two dedicated burglary teams covering Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
“We work hard with our partners to prevent house burglaries taking place. However, when they do occur, we attend each and every offence.
“By working with local communities and partners, we have achieved sustained reductions in the number of burglary offences across the county.”
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