Burglars jailed in the last year after tormenting Nottinghamshire homeowners

Raymond Ward, Louis Denham, Nooran Nagra, Andrew Harris, James Hudson and Carl O’Dowd all broke into people’s homes.

Each of the intruders are now behind bars though after being sentenced to a combined 23-and-a-half years’ worth of prison time.

As well as being detained at His Majesty’s pleasure, another thing they all have in common is the group of detectives who put them in the docks.

The six cases were all built and coordinated by detectives from Nottinghamshire Police's City Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who are often tasked with investigating burglaries.

Some of the intruders were forensically linked to break-ins, while others were identified from CCTV, or simply picked out on the streets by fast-moving officers.

“The specialist knowledge our detectives have built up over time can help ID offenders – not just from footage but by recognising their MO from previous offences as well,” said Detective Sergeant Rob Palethorpe.

“A prolific burglar could have also repeatedly hit the same area multiple times in the past, so that kind of information could help us piece together who could be responsible.

“As well as those traditional methods, our teams across City CID obviously work closely with other departments to link offenders through forensic opportunities, like fingerprints or blood left at the scene.

“An example of that came in the Louis Denham case, where we were able to place him at the scene of a burglary, based on DNA traces he’d left on a screwdriver used in the break-in.

“We also always trawl through available footage, whether that’s from CCTV or doorbell cameras, to try and identify perpetrators and build up a picture of their offending.

“That technique helped us link Raymond Ward to a crime spree where he carried out a series of robberies, burglaries and shop thefts, with the evidence gathered ultimately putting him behind bars.”

These six City CID cases represent just a snapshot of the force's ongoing efforts to combat burglary, which have seen some positive results in recent times.

As an example, the number of reported break-ins across Nottingham has dropped by eight per cent since last April, when compared to the financial year 12 months earlier.

Despite this drop in burglary reports, the positive outcomes rate – where a suspect has been arrested, charged, or sanctioned in some way – has increased over the same period.

DS Palethorpe added: “I’m very proud of our City CID team for the service they provide, with these six court results from the last year really illustrating some of that great work.

“We regularly collaborate with different departments, like forensics as I’ve said before, while we also sometimes work with neighbourhood and response officers and other forces too – as happened when detaining burglar, Carl O’Dowd.

“From listening first-hand to the victims of these offences, we know how much damage burglaries can cause to people’s lives. They are harrowing offences that can really leave a lasting impact.

“That’s why it’s so important we’re able to support victims through their ordeal and do everything in our powers, through our investigations, to bring anyone responsible to justice."

Raymond Ward, 32, of St Peter’s Street, Radford, was jailed for five years after being linked to 22 separate offences that included multiple burglaries, robberies and shop thefts, all of which happened during a five-week crime spree across Nottingham either side of the start of 2025.

Louis Denham, 29, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years behind bars after committing three burglaries across Nottingham last year. Detectives were able to forensically link him to one of the break-ins by DNA he’d left on a screwdriver, while doorbell footage helped implicate him for another.

Nooran Nagra, 36, formerly of Austen Avenue, Nottingham, received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a variety of offences. Two of these were burglaries in 2024, with forensic evidence and CCTV analysis used to identify him in both cases.

Andrew Harris, 58, of Severn Street, Bulwell, was jailed for four years, after fast-moving officers ensured he was stopped within minutes of breaking into a Radford flat and stealing a laptop.

James Hudson, 39, of Nottingham Road, Nottingham, received a sentence of three years and three months, after an investigation identified him as being responsible for three break-ins and three attempted burglaries. A fingerprint left on a window frame was among the evidence used against Hudson.

Carl O’Dowd, 56, of Brick Kiln Lane, Loughborough, was jailed for three years and three months, after ransacking a property in Forest Fields in August 2024. Detectives analysed CCTV footage and made use of facial recognition software to identify O’Dowd, before working closely with Leicestershire Police to arrest him.