A teenage burglar found himself behind bars just eleven days after breaking into
a police ‘capture house’ in Leeds.
Luke Walton, aged 19, from Harehills, broke into the
house in Aviary Row, Armley, through a kitchen window at about 2.30am on April
10 and stole electrical goods.
Capture houses feature tiny hidden cameras
that produce high quality footage and equipment that sprays intruders with
invisible dye that links them to the offence. They continue to be set up across
Leeds backed by funding from the city’s community safety partnership Safer
Leeds.
Walton was identified from footage shot by cameras hidden in the
house and was arrested three days later.
When interviewed by officers, he
admitted the offence and was charged to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court the
next day. He was also charged with a separate burglary at a property in Seaforth
Place, Harehills, on March 11.
His case was subsequently transferred to
Leeds Crown Court and when he appeared there on Wednesday (21/4) he pleaded
guilty to both counts of burglary.
He was sentenced to 876 days
imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.
Detective Chief Inspector
Andy Williams, Crime Manager for North West Leeds Division, said: “This is an
excellent result which clearly illustrates the success our use of capture houses
is continuing to have in catching burglars and putting them behind
bars.
“The irrefutable evidence that the capture houses generate means
offenders usually have no choice but to admit the offence when they appear at
court. Here we have a prolific local criminal who has gone from committing the
crime straight to prison in less than a fortnight.
“Burglars like Luke
Walton spread misery not just by taking people’s property but by invading the
one place where they should be able to feel safe.
“Burglary remains one
of our top priorities and the use of capture houses, alongside a range of other
tactics, is helping us to reduce the level of burglary. We will continue to set
up capture houses across the Division as part of our ongoing efforts to catch
burglars and reduce this type of crime.”
Click here for details on the West Yorkshire Police website