Burglar who targeted 17 North Yorkshire homes is jailed (From Gazette & Herald)

Burglar who targeted 17 North Yorkshire homes is jailed

7:26pm Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News

A PROLIFIC burglar who broke into 17 North Yorkshire homes in less than four months has been jailed for six years.

Kevin David Talbot, 46, of no fixed address, was charged with three burglaries but admitted a total of 49 across the country in the last year when he was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court.

North Yorkshire Police joined the appeal for information to catch him earlier this year after he committed five burglaries in York, nine in Scarborough and three in Thirsk between March and July this year.

He mainly targeted insecure premises while those living there were in the garden, but also smashed his way into properties and climbed in through first-floor windows to steal cash, foreign currency and jewellery, among other items.

Talbot was noticed acting suspiciously in the Saxilby area of Lincolnshire in July and every police officer in the county was given a description of him. He was making his escape from stealing gold jewellery from a house in Lincoln when he was recognised by an officer who searched him.

The three offences he was charged with included a burglary in St Mary's Drive, Thirsk, on March 21, where he had left a fingerprint.

Detective Sergeant Steve Paxton of Scarborough CID said: “Burglary can have devastating effects on victims and the sentence handed out by the court reflects the seriousness of his crimes.

"I hope this can bring some sense of justice to the many victims of Talbot’s actions, many of whom were elderly. The successful joint collaboration with Lincolnshire and West Yorkshire Police sends a clear message to criminals that no matter where you try to hide, the law will always catch up with you.”