Man given jail sentence after burglaries and frauds
Christopher Stevenson will spend 876 days in prison.
A man has been jailed having admitted to burglaries and frauds in Norwich.
32-year-old Christopher Stephenson, of no fixed address, appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Wednesday the 2nd of September where he was jailed for 876 days. This sentence is the mandatory minimum for a 'third striker' burglar. He had previously admitted to three burglaries and two frauds.
The burglaries took place between the 25th and 28th of July at properties on The Erins, Beckwith's Court, and Boot Binders Road in Norwich. A number of items had been reported stolen, including bank cards, a laptop, a PlayStation and jewellery.
Stephenson then made multiple purchases at convenience stores using the bank cards he'd stolen.
After co-operating with Norfolk Police’s Op Converter unit, which investigates when an offender is suspected of other similar crimes, he admitted to six more offences.
These were four burglaries at properties in Sleaford Green, St Faith's Lane, Reepham Road, and Midland Walk and one attempted burglary dwelling in Meadow Way. The burglaries all took place between the 22nd and 29th of July. Stephenson also admitted one shop theft on the 24th of July in Dereham Road.
These further offences were taken into consideration by the court.
The court heard that most of his crimes were committed after dark, and in one case a woman was sleeping upstairs when he broke into her house. Following another burglary, the victim noticed a string of unauthorised transactions ping through on his phone while he was away, alerting him to the break-in.
Stephenson was connected to the crime scenes via fingerprint and CCTV evidence. He was arrested on the 29th of July by officers on patrol in the city.
In Victim Personal Statements, some of his victims said they struggled to feel safe in their homes and felt more anxious than they did before. As well as the inconvenience and stress they felt deeper and more personal consequences and had trouble sleeping.
One victim said: “The emotional and psychological impact of his actions far outweigh the perpetrator’s modest financial gains and it would be good if he took these wider repercussions to heart.”
Police Staff Investigator Darren Reade of Op Converter said: "Burglary is an incredibly intrusive crime which often leaves victims feeling unsafe and anxious in their own homes - the one place they should be most at ease."
"Thanks to the officers who investigated the original charges we were able to bring a strong case against him with six more offences which were taken into consideration at the court. We hope this brings some reassurance to those affected by his offending."