Burglar who stole £10,000 of valuables caught after leaving blood at crime scenes

John Tatlock was caught after his blood was found at the scene of both crimes committed at dwellings in Telford.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that Tatlock was a prolific burglar and that he got into both of the houses by breaking windows.

Mr Simon Warlock, prosecuting barrister, said the defendant was nabbed after traces of his blood were left behind at both locations and as a result he was identified by police following DNA tests.

Tatlock stole an engagement ring and other items totalling £7,600 from a property, in Sunbury Drive, in Trench, on November 27 last year. Then three days later he repeated the act at a property, in Princess End, Dawley Bank, stealing goods worth £2,000.

He had broken in while the owners were out.

The defendant, of Malcolm Davies Drive, Wrockwardine Wood pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and asked for the second incident to be taken into consideration.

Miss Debra White, mitigating barrister, asked the court to give her client credit for his guilty pleas. Tatlock has a history of taking heroin and has previous convictions.

Sentencing him yesterday Mr Recorder Timothy Raggatt QC said: "You have a poor record. You admitted two dwelling burglaries within days.

"A substantial amount of items worth £7,600 and as is usual in such cases the property is of great sentimental value to the householder."

He gave the 48-year-old maximum credit for his early guilty pleas.

And he told him that under the sentencing guidelines the starting point for such crimes if the defendant been convicted following a jury trial, was three years and that he would be granted a year discount as a result of his timely pleas.

The recorder jailed him from two years. Tatlock must serve at least half of the sentence before being released on licence with conditions.

He must also pay the victims' surcharge on his release.