Cambridgeshire: DNA hit snares Burglar

10/03/2011

A burglar has been sentenced to five years imprisonment for forcing his way in to a home in Peterborough on Friday, October 1, 2011.

Robert France, 54, had previously pleaded guilty to the offence, after a court heard his DNA was found on an item of clothing inside the house.

Peterborough Crown Court heard how the homeowners returned from a couple of days away, to find a large hole drilled in their back door, and many items strewn about the property, including the television which was face down on the floor.

The court also heard how a pink and white dress belonging to the granddaughter of the victim had been removed from the laundry basket and was found in the living room next to a picture of the child. The dress had blood stains on it and the DNA was matched to France.

Crown Advocate Craig McDougall from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Burglaries are a violation of the sanctity of the home, the victims often never feel safe in their own home again. House burglary is not just a crime of theft; often it involves theft of memories.

"In this case a professional house burglar removed irreplaceable items and the family were faced with the image of their granddaughter's dress lying on the floor, with all the fears and concerns regarding what that may have meant.

"I cannot begin to describe the hurt and angst this will have caused them and the fear they may now feel. We only hope that this sentence can help them move forward positively from this terrible experience and provide some closure for them."