Burglar booked taxi to Blidworth home before stealing van from driveway
A burglar brazenly booked a taxi to a Blidworth house before stealing a van parked on the driveway outside.
Gavin Smith arranged to be picked up and driven to his victim's Blidworth home after realising they weren't in.
Having arrived at the address, the 38-year-old then climbed out of the car, invited himself into the house and swiped a set of van keys from inside.
Those keys belonged to a Volkswagen Caddy parked outside, which Smith duly clambered into and drove away – with thousands of pounds worth of work tools still in the back.
The theft happened around 7.30pm on January 30, but wasn't discovered until a few hours later, by which time it had been crashed and driven to an address in Fritchley Court, Mansfield.
Within 48 hours, the damaged van had been discovered and recovered though – along with the valuable tools within.
Smith was identified from available CCTV soon afterwards too, with his decision to use his phone to book a taxi in his own name providing further evidence of what he'd done and ultimately leading officers to his door.
Despite the considerable evidence against him, Smith, of Sherwood Street, Mansfield, initially denied the charges of burglary and taking a vehicle without consent.
This all changed on Tuesday, July 21, however – on the opening day of his scheduled trial at Nottingham Crown Court – with Smith at that point electing to plead guilty to both offences.
He was duly sentenced that same day to 876 days – just under two years and five months – behind bars.
PC Alice Braben, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This case proved just how opportunistic burglars can be, with Smith immediately making his way to his victim's home to steal after realising they weren't in.
“If breaking into their home and stealing their van wasn't bad enough, Smith also drove thousands of pounds worth of tools away with him and damaged the vehicle in the process too.
“While it was good to see the van be returned to its rightful owner soon afterwards, it was particularly satisfying to be able to identify and catch the culprit.
“Despite always denying it was him, the strength of the evidence ultimately meant Smith decided to tell the truth on the day of his trial, with a prison sentence following, which was pleasing to see.”