Man jailed after leaving blood at the scene of Bedford break-in

A man has been sentenced to three years in prison after he broke into a house in Bedford and left blood at the scene.
Jailed Joseph LambJailed Joseph Lamb
Jailed Joseph Lamb

Joseph Lamb, 45, of no fixed address, was sentenced on Monday (15 April) at Luton Crown Court to 36 months imprisonment.

On 22 February, Lamb broke into a house in West Grove.

The victim had left the property locked and secured at around 2pm on 22 February. When he returned home at around 9pm, he realised someone had broken into his house after seeing a glass panel near the door had been smashed.

Jailed Joseph LambJailed Joseph Lamb
Jailed Joseph Lamb

Although the ground floor had been left alone, cabinets and wardrobes in two of the bedrooms had been emptied. The other rooms in the house were untouched, and nothing had been taken from either room.

However the damage to the front door of the property was significant, with the victim being quoted £2,000 to replace it.

A Scenes of Crime Officer attended the address and carried out a forensic examination. She was able to identify blood in one of the bedrooms; on a box and on the inside of a cupboard door.

Swabs of the blood were taken and sent off for forensic analysis, which determined they matched the DNA of Lamb.

When interviewed, Lamb admitted committing the offence, but told officers he didn’t take anything as he felt nervous and guilty for breaking in.

Detective Constable Andy Boston said: “The fact that Lamb didn’t take anything, admitted the offence, and was still jailed for three years should act as a deterrent to other burglars out there.

Deep down he knows what he did was wrong, and I only hope he now realises that crime doesn’t pay.

“The victim and his family have lived in their home for 17 years – even though Lamb took nothing, we can’t underestimate the impact that his actions had.”

Burglary is a priority for Bedfordshire Police, with a dedicated team called Operation Maze which investigates incidents across the county.

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