Imagine being on holiday and watching a live stream of burglars ransacking your Cambridgeshire home - well that’s what happened court told
Stuart Driver (toip left) and Matthew Turner (bottom right_ sentenced for their part in a burglary. The home owners saw the burglars robbing their Cambridgeshire home (bottom left) on CCTV whilst they were on holiday. The red Honda was used as a get away vehicle in a later burglary. Pictures: CAMBS POLICE - Credit: Archant
A victim from Cambridgeshire away on holiday watched in horror a live-feed camera CCTV showing his home being burgled, a court heard.
The victim watched helplessly as two men burgled their village home and could nothing except call police.
The victim had set up the security camera at his house in Church Street, Ickleton, south of Cambridge and it was activated by Stuart Driver and Matthew Turner as they broke in at about 5pm on Monday, August 13 last year.
After receiving a notification on his phone, he watched the live feed as the pair entered via the kitchen before going upstairs and taking some jewellery. The victim phoned police.
The break-in was one in a series of six burglaries carried out by Driver, 45, of Thomas Road, Fulbourn, Cambridge and Turner, 32, of St Matthews Gardens, Cambridge, in a 24-hour period.
You may also want to watch:
The pair also targeted a property less than half a mile up the road in Brookhampton Street, again forcing entry through the kitchen window. They ransacked the house, pulling things out of drawers and cupboards before taking jewellery worth around £1,000.
A court heard they burgled four more properties, two in Suffolk and two in Essex, stealing items including mobile phones, jewellery and cash.
Most Read
- 1 Vaccine roll-out begins, 12 hours a day, seven days a week
- 2 'Small number of Covid-19 deaths' at care home
- 3 Coronavirus test centre staff ‘receive abuse’ from angry motorists
- 4 Artist impressions of how Mepal will be transformed into a £6.5m crematorium
- 5 Council offers reserved parking for elderly heading for Covid jab
- 6 Minor injury unit closes to allow staff to respond to crisis in the community
- 7 Photographer captures the ‘sonic boom’ RAF Typhoon on camera
- 8 Tributes to 'loving, kind family man' and community stalwart
- 9 Slimmer's life-changing weight loss story
- 10 Man guilty of murdering partner's baby son
On each occasion they escaped on a red motorcycle, which was seen by witnesses. Police also managed to track Driver and Turner’s movements via ‘Find My Phone’ data, fed back from a stolen Motorola mobile.
Both men were found guilty of all burglaries at Cambridge Crown Court on (Friday March 1) and were handed prison sentences. Turner was given six years and Driver was given 42 months.
Detective Constable Lisa Bacon said: “This was clearly a pre-planned operation, designed to target empty houses in quiet, affluent villages across the region.
“Turner and Driver managed to make off with a number of items, some very precious to the victims, who, understandably, feel their homes have been violated.
“Thankfully, Driver and Turner were caught soon after their crime stint due to the huge amount of evidence and intelligence gathered.”
