Man jailed for multiple burglaries and car thefts in Bromham

A man has been jailed after he was convicted of a string of burglaries and theft across Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes.

Darren Levy, of Parliament Street, Aston, Birmingham, was found guilty on Wednesday, November 9 by a majority jury verdict of 14 burglary and theft offences, and by unanimous verdict of perverting the course of justice following a trial lasting 10 days at Luton Crown Court.

Levy was jailed for five years for burglary, attempted burglary, theft of number plates and theft of motor vehicles, and a further one year to run consecutively for perverting the course of justice.

The convictions relate to a burglary, four attempted burglaries, and two thefts of motor vehicles, all which occurred in Bromham, between July 14 and 23, 2020.

A further seven offences were committed in Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire, while the offence of perverting the course of justice occurred when Levy attempted to gain a false alibi from a person in Northampton using an illegal mobile phone from his prison cell in a bid to cover his tracks.

Following a cross-border investigation involving Bedfordshire Police, Thames Valley Police, Northamptonshire Police and West Midlands Police, Levy was arrested after an address in Birmingham was searched in October 2020.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, who led the investigation for Bedfordshire Police, said: “We know that burglary is an incredibly invasive crime that can understandably leave people feeling violated and unsafe. That is why we will continue to do everything in our power to apprehend burglars like Levy and put an end to their criminal activity.

“Levy targeted several properties over a short period of time without any regard for his victims, but thanks to the diligence and teamwork of officers over four separate force areas, he is now behind bars and unable to continue offending.

“He also attempted to frustrate the investigation and court proceedings by asking someone who was once close to him to lie on his behalf to evade the inevitable guilty verdict. I want to praise the character and strength shown by the victim and for providing key evidence which led to Levy being found guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice.”

Investigating officer for Thames Valley Police, Detective Constable Matt Acland, said: “Burglary is a particularly nasty offence, which has a devastating and long-lasting impact on victims.

“In this trial, Levy was found guilty of a large number of offences of burglary, attempted burglary and theft, including stealing number plates from other cars, which he did in an attempt to hide his tracks.

“I am pleased that a jury convicted him of these offences and he will now serve a lengthy prison sentence as a result.

“His offending was part of a series, targeting performance BMWs, and as a result of partnership working across four different forces, Levy has now been held accountable for these crimes.

“Even when the warrant was conducted in Birmingham, Levy attempted to evade justice, trying to jump from a window, holding officers from West Midlands Police at bay for some four hours before he was finally arrested.

“I hope that these convictions and sentence will reassure our communities that we will never tolerate such criminality and will work tirelessly with partners to bring offenders to justice.”