Man jailed for 40 months for Chandler's Ford burglary

Richard Martin, 50, of The Dell in Southampton, was jailed for 40 months at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, January 23, after pleading guilty at the same court on December 17.

The burglary took place on Baddesley Road at around 11.30pm on September 21.

A man, later identified as Martin, entered a home wearing a woollen hat pulled over his face while the occupants were in the kitchen.

He stole two phones from the kitchen side before being confronted by a man in his 60s, one of the victims.

Martin kicked the victim before fleeing the property.

Police were notified of the incident, and the stolen phones were tracked to Martin’s address.

Officers also identified a car registered to Martin travelling from Baddesley Road back to his home.

DNA evidence collected from the scene matched Martin, further linking him to the burglary.

Detective Constable Steve Jakes, the officer in the case, said: "We should all be able to feel safe and secure in our own homes, and a stranger invading that space can have a lasting impact on victims.

"I hope this sentence sends a clear message that we will deal with these crimes robustly and seek to bring offenders to justice. We will not tolerate this type of offending in our community.

"In this case, I would like to thank the victims for their quick thinking in tracking the phones.

"That line of enquiry assisted greatly in creating our case.

"I would urge anyone who is aware of or sees anything suspicious in our area that could be linked to a burglary to report it to us."

For more information on how to protect your home from burglary, visit our crime prevention page: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/