Bedford men jailed for burglary and theft offences

Two men from Bedford have been jailed for burglary and theft offences as Bedfordshire Police continues to drive down burglaries across the county.

Radoslaw Kozak, 28, of Hurst Grove, Bedford, pleaded guilty to theft, possession of a knife, going equipped and three burglaries and was sentenced to total of 39 months.

Kozak was arrested on January 31, 2020, after a call was made from a member of the public saying that a person is trying car door handles in Luddingtons Lane, in Bedford.

Officers arrested him shortly after and he was searched. A number of items including bolt cutters and a Stanley knife were found.

He was then linked to two incidents in Linden Road, Bedford on 27 and 28 January where he is seen committing the burglaries on CCTV. Additionally, his fingerprints were matched to another burglary in Duckmill Lane, Bedford on 21 August 2019.

Tomasz Lesinski, 34, of Goldington Avenue, Bedford, pleaded guilty to six counts of burglary and one count of theft and was sentenced to total of 46 months.

He has targeted a number of addresses across Bedford including:

- an office burglary in Duckmill Lane, Bedford on 21 August 2019

- a burglary of an assisted living facility in Bedford on 15 September 2019

- a business burglary in Linden Road, Bedford on 21 October and 6 November 2019 and an attempted burglary at the same location on 11 November and 12 November 2019.

The pair were sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Wednesday, September 16.

A third man was also sentenced in relation to incidents which took place in Flitwick and Luton between April and May this year.

Shane Ellwood, 28, of Artur Street, Luton, pleaded guilty to a number of theft, fraud and drug offences in relation to incidents which took place in Luton and Flitwick

Ellwood was arrested on May 6, after he was spotted on CCTV trying car handles in Guilford Street, Luton.

Officers were dispatched to investigate it and arrested him shortly after in Station Road. After he was searched a quantity of cannabis and heroin was found as well as surgical gloves and a torch.

Following the investigation by the force’s dedicated burglary prevention team, Operation Maze, he was forensically linked to further offences:

- a theft from a motor vehicle in Park Street, Luton on 3 April

- theft of a car and a watch in Grave Pit Road, Flitwick on 4 April

- handling stolen goods and fraud in the Farley Hill area of Luton on 20 April.

He has also admitted being involved in 12 other offences which were taken under consideration upon his sentencing. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.

Detective Constable Jason Wheeler, from the forces dedicated burglary team - Operation Maze team, said: “Our force is dedicated to investigating burglaries and putting the perpetrators behind bars.

"Burglary not only causes financial loss to the victims, but also psychological trauma caused by the break-in and breach of the safety of their home.

“Hopefully these sentences will serve as a reassurance to our residents of our commitment to keeping you safe.

“Whilst we are working hard to secure results, we would encourage residents to think about their home security as we are approaching darker nights.

"Please ensure that you keep your windows and doors double locked, and when going out at night, consider leaving a light on to make your home look lived in.”