Prolific burglar who stole from King's Lynn home is jailed for four years

A prolific burglar who stole goods worth tens of thousands of pounds and left traces of blood behind at his crime scenes has been handed a four-year jail sentence.

Steven Craggs, also known as Steven Leach, was charged with three burglaries spanning Lynn, Wisbech and Cambridge.

On November 29 last year, the occupants of a house in Murrow Bank, Murrow, returned home from work to find their white BMW 640D missing from the driveway.

The couple then entered their home to find it had been broken into and a safe had gone from their bedroom, containing possessions worth tens of thousands of pounds.

Blood was found at the house by scenes of crime officers (SOCO) on the back of a photograph which was left on the living room floor.

Tests showed a match to that of 42-year-old Craggs. The BMW was located a number of weeks later in Crowland, Lincolnshire.

A few weeks later on January 28, Craggs smashed his way through a French window at a house in Mill Road, Lynn, making off with games consoles, electronics and jewellery worth more than £4,500, but left behind two red marks on walls. These were later confirmed by crime scene investigators as blood, which again matched that of Craggs.

A jewellery box and two Pandora charms stolen in the burglary were recovered from a nearby stream.

On February 11, late at night Craggs smashed his way through a window at a house in Ramper Road, Swavesey, ransacking the master bedroom and filling a pillowcase with jewellery. Again, drops of blood were found at the scene which came back as a match for Craggs.

Detective Constable Martyn Willis said: “Craggs has been convicted following hard work and co-operation between different police forces and departments across Cambridgeshire. I hope his sentence will give the victims of these offences some closure and act as a deterrent to people thinking of committing burglaries.”

He was arrested on February 16 and recalled to prison after having been released at the end of August last year.

He was charged with three counts of burglary and theft.

On Thursday, April 4, he appeared at Peterborough Crown Court and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Anyone with information about burglary should report online at www.cambs.police.uk/report or call 101. Always dial 999 if someone is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress.