Luton burglar to spend Christmas behind bars after being jailed for five years

A burglar from Luton will be spending Christmas behind bars after being jailed for five years.
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Kevin Stock, 37, of Essex Close, Luton, was sentenced at Luton Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) for multiple offences, including a burglary.

On 1 September Stock gained entry to a property in St Saviours Crescent in Luton while the occupant was asleep. He stole a TV, laptop, mobile phone, and a wallet containing cash and bank cards.

The investigation team identified multiple transactions from stolen bank cards and obtained CCTV footage of Stock making the transactions, as well as forensically linking him to the property.

StockStock
Stock

He was also sentenced for the fraud offences in relation to the use of the stolen credit cards.

Detective Constable Kevin Howes, from Bedfordshire Police’s dedicated burglary team, says: “It’s great news that Stock has been taken off the streets of Bedfordshire for a substantial amount of time and I hope it shows the public how hard we’re working to keep them safe, especially with the festive season in full swing.

“With Christmas a few weeks away there can be an increased risk of burglaries and we all therefore need to take a few more measures to keep ourselves and our properties safe from opportunist criminals.

“Our dedicated unit is committed to tackling burglary and will continue to target those individuals who think this despicable behaviour in Bedfordshire is acceptable.”

Burglary advice (see video at the top of this story and info below):

This time of year, it’s easier to see if people are at home by whether there are lights on, so if you’re out during the night, put your lights on a timer and consider keeping your radio playing, so it seems like someone is home.

Christmas is just around the corner and we all have a few extra special items in the house, refrain from keeping presents under the tree, especially if it can be seen through a window.

Keep all valuables and keys safely out of sight from windows, both in your home and car, and make sure you do not hide your keys in a ‘safe’ place outside your home.

Secure all house and vehicle doors, make sure your door double locked and make sure your garages and sheds are not left unlocked. Burglars can steal valuable tools, or use them to gain entry to your house.