Tilney St Lawrence brothers Cirean and James Brytz jailed for total of more than eight years for string of burglaries

A man who admitted a decade-long spree of burglaries, targeting homes and businesses in the area, has been jailed for six years.

Cirean Brytz, 35, of Westfields, Tilney St Lawrence, appeared at Lynn Crown Court yesterday, alongside his brother James Brytz, 40, also of Westfields.

Cirean had admitted to two residential burglaries, a burglary of a homeless hostel, two thefts of motor vehicles and a theft from a motor vehicle, namely a number plate, all in March 2023.

James faced the same charges, and admitted two of them, with the others left to lie on file.

Cirean also asked for 13 other offences to be taken into consideration (TIC) after he was further investigated by police staff from the Operation Converter, TIC unit. The oldest offence dated back to October 2013.

The decade-long spree saw him target homes and businesses, sometimes taking keys and stealing cars parked outside including a Mercedes and a VW Beetle.

Among the additional offences he admitted were residential burglaries in Ditchingham, Belton, Gorleston, Loddon, and Beccles.

He also admitted to filling a stolen car with diesel in Downham and making off without paying.

On March 10 this year, he targeted a home in St Germans, taking money and a car, which was found burnt out in Ditchingham a few days later.

Cirean also admitted to breaking into Emmaus House in Ditchingham, a homeless hostel where he lived before 2019, on March 13 and taking cash, laptops, medication and a Vauxhall Zafira.

On March 19, a number plate was stolen from a car in Gorleston and the Zafira plate was found at the scene.

Ten days later a woman came home to find a suspect leaving her property in Wisbech with valuables including jewellery, a coin bottle, keys and cash. A Vauxhall Zafira was spotted at the scene.

The vehicle was subsequently traced to the brothers’ home address where numerous items were recovered matching stolen property descriptions, as well as bolt croppers and several stolen or cloned number plates.

He admitted to all six charges and was sentenced to six years in prison. James admitted to two charges and was handed a prison term of two years and four months.

The additional 13 admissions made by Cirean were part of a scheme whereby offenders can ask for offences to be taken into consideration by the court.

It provides an outcome for victims and a clean slate for offenders who cannot be rearrested and charged for TIC crimes.

Police staff supervisor Duncan Etchells of the Operation Converter Unit said after the sentencing: “We were only able to investigate this prolific offender following some excellent work resulting in his arrest and charge by the team at Swaffham CID and Det Con Charlie Bunting.

“We hope that the additional admissions Cirean Brytz made in relation to the TIC offences show he will hopefully rehabilitate himself while he is serving his custodial sentence.

“He knows, however, if he chooses to re-offend on release Norfolk Police will do all they can to put him back behind bars in order to protect the communities of Norfolk.”