Bedford burglar who ‘borrowed’ car to transport stolen goods jailed

A burglar who stole thousands of pounds worth of property during multiple burglaries in Bedford – and ‘borrowed’ a car to transport the stolen goods – has been jailed.

Timothy Hall, from Goldington Road in Bedford, committed four burglaries between Friday, May 26 and 29 while his victims were away for the bank holiday weekend.

And in one of the burglaries, Timothy Hall used a car he had taken from another house to transport stolen property including designer clothes and electrical devices – before returning it to the owners.

CCTV footage captured him arriving at one of the homes at around 9.45pm on the Sunday and leaving just after 11pm carrying holdall bags. But nearly two hours later he returned in a red Citroen and re-entered the house before loading the vehicle with more stolen property and driving away.

Detectives discovered he had taken the car during another burglary that same weekend. CCTV captured the vehicle’s movements overnight, including periods when it was parked opposite Hall’s address.

The owners returned the following Tuesday to find the car outside their home, but the spare car keys and various other items missing as a result of the break-in. A neighbouring property also reported a burglary over the same weekend.

Hall was arrested at his home address on June 20. Officers recovered property belonging to two of the victims during a search of his home.

During an appearance at Luton Crown Court last month, Hall pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary and one count of taking a conveyance without consent. On Wednesday, September 13 he was sentenced to three years and eight months behind bars.

Operation Maze’s Detective Constable Kevin Howes, who led the investigation, said: “It’s incredibly important that we are meticulous in our investigations and gather as much evidence as possible to ensure we don’t miss anything, especially when dealing with unconventional cases. We recognise the psychological impact, as well as financial impact, that burglary can have on victims when perpetrators like Hall forcibly invade the safety and security of their homes.

“Our commitment to tackling burglary remains unwavering and we will continue to do all we can to ensure that those responsible face the consequences of their crimes.”