Luton burglar jailed after being tracked down through iPad and iPhone location apps

A Luton man was jailed for over three years after being tracked down through iPad and iPhone location apps and the use of a fraudulent card captured on CCTV.

Graham Smith, 45, of Park Street, pleaded guilty to burglary and fraud offences in connection to three break ins.

Smith broke into three properties in Surrey Street, Leyhill Drive and Rutland Crescent between 16 and 19 January 2020 and stole a number of items including a car, bank cards, electronic items and jewellery.

The strength of the evidence collated by Bedfordshire Police’s dedicated burglary team Operation Maze, led to Smith pleading guilty to these offences.

Two of the victims were able to use their ‘track my phone’ apps to attribute stolen goods to Smith. CCTV also linked him to a stolen vehicle and fraudulent card usages from the burglaries.

Smith was jailed on March 3, at Luton Crown Court for three years and nine months for three counts of burglary and three counts of fraud by false representation.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, from the Operation Maze team, said: “Smith is a prolific offender within Bedfordshire and targeted three properties in only three days and stole a number of valuable items.

"His actions have caused misery to his victims and caused the loss of property the families worked hard for. Actions, such as his, will not be tolerated.

“Burglary has a tremendous impact on the victim, apart from financial loss, it also affects the victim’s sense of security in their own home, something Smith had no consideration for.

“Hopefully this sentence will serve as a warning to anyone who causes misery in our communities for their own personal gain.

"This will not be tolerated within Bedfordshire and our Operation Maze team will bring those identified to justice.”

If you have been affected by crime you can contact Signpost for free and confidential support, whether the crime has been reported to police or not. For further information or to get in contact, visit www.signpostforbedfordshire.com.