Teenager sentenced for string of burglaries and thefts

A 19-year-old man has been sentenced following a string of crimes in the west of Suffolk and parts of Norfolk.

Joseph Cousins, of Burling Way, in Burwell, was convicted yesterday at Ipswich Magistrates Court (January 7) and given a sentence of 18 weeks, suspended for 12 months.

On December 14, last year he was charged with burglary at three locations in Red Lodge.

They were at a property in Billberry Close, where several drills, saws, a socket set and a pressure washer were stolen; theft from a motor vehicle from a property on Juniper Road, where a pair of sunglasses were stolen; and theft from motor vehicle from a car parked, in Harebell Road, where a Dell laptop and sat nav were stolen.

He also admitted responsibility for a further 32 incidents that took place across the west of the county between September 13 and 19 including four incidents of interference with motor vehicles and 28 incidents of thefts from motor vehicles.

These crimes amounted to over £4,700 worth of goods being stolen. The incidents took place at locations in Red Lodge, Feltwell and Weeting.

In one incident a Vauxhall Astra van with around £2,000 worth of power tools was stolen, while in another incident £450 worth of sunglasses, sportswear and footwear was stolen from a vehicle.

DC Duncan Etchells, from the Op Converter team, said: “Cousins is a determined individual whose prolific criminality caused his victims great distress. Burglary and theft from vehicles is a clear invasion of people’s homes and vehicles and can be very upsetting and distressing for the victims.”

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes.

This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further offence.

Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and these offences are then “taken into consideration” at sentencing.

The judge will look at all the offences before determining the sentence.