Teen burglar jailed for 40 offences after going on three month 'crime spree'

A teenage burglar who targeted homes across Peterborough and Lincolnshire has been jailed for four years.

“Bailey Winkle went on a three-month crime spree, carrying out burglaries and stealing cars just after his eighteenth birthday in October last year,” a spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said.

“He would break into his victims’ homes before stealing keys and making off with their cars, on some occasions boasting about the thefts over text messages which were later recovered from his mobile phone by detectives.”

The 18-year-old was arrested by detectives from the Acquisitive Crime Team (ACT) on November 6, and later charged with 21 offences and remanded to appear in court the following day.

However, he was granted bail by the courts and went on to commit further offences before being arrested again on December 30, in Bardney, Lincolnshire.

The spokesperson went on: “Winkle, of Willonholt, Ravensthorpe, appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday, May 23, where he was sentenced to four years in a Young Offender Institution after previously admitting 40 offences including 17 thefts of vehicles, 13 burglaries, three thefts from vehicles – namely number plates, three attempted burglaries, two counts of making off without payment – namely fuel, one attempted theft of a vehicle and one count of dangerous driving.”

He denied two charges of attempted fraud – namely using stolen bank cards, five charges of theft from a motor vehicle – namely theft of number plates, one charge of criminal damage and three charges of possession of cannabis, all of which will lie on file.

Detective Sergeant Rich Ellison, from the Acquisitive Crime Team (ACT) at Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: “Winkle was absolutely prolific in his offending and continued to commit crime while on court bail.

“Burglaries are one of the most intrusive crimes and Winkle clearly showed no regard for the impact his actions would have on his victims.”

Advice about how to best protect your home and vehicles can be found on Cambridge Constabulary’s dedicated crime prevention webpages.