Two Luton men jailed for burglary

Carl Drein, 34, of no fixed address, and Darren Smith, 35, of Kingsland Road, were sentenced on Monday at Luton Crown Court.

Both pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and were sentenced to two years imprisonment.

On Friday, September 2, they went to the elderly victim’s home, Drein knocked on the door and claimed his son had kicked a ball into her garden.

She believed him to be genuine and allowed him into the garden to look for the ball, while Smith rang the front doorbell in an attempt to distract the victim and gain entry to her property.

After leaving the scene, unsuccessful in their attempt to access the property, the victim called the police.

Officers spoke with the victim, gained a description and viewed CCTV.

Drein and Smith were identified by police and arrested later the same day.

They were interviewed, charged and remanded in custody where they remained until sentencing.

Detective Constable David Adams, who investigated the incident, said: “The sentence Drein and Smith received reflects the severity of the crime against the victim in this case.

“This is another success for Op Fidelity, Bedfordshire Police’s commitment to tackling burglary, and I am pleased these men are now off the streets, unable to target other innocent victims.

“I would like to thank the victim in this case for coming forward and supporting the police investigation.

“The strength of the evidence in this case was from CCTV; neither Drein nor Smith were able to explain why they attended the address of the victim that day, other than they were intending to burgle her and steal her property.

“Burglary and any attempt to burgle anyone will not be tolerated by Bedfordshire Police.

“We remain dedicated to protecting the public and fighting crime; if we can trace and identify offenders we will bring them to justice, as we have in this case.”