Burglar caught after police hunch leads them to right location

A burglar was swiftly caught after police acted on their instincts and found him hiding at a block of flats.

Officers were called Crow Hill Rise, Mansfield, after three neighbouring properties were broken into during the early hours of 26 January 2023.

Nottingham Crown Court heard the cul-de-sac is a five-minute walk from a block of flats in Stone Cross Court, where a number of prolific offenders were known to live.

The officers decided to visit the flats and it paid dividends, with items stolen during the burglary spree – including mountain bikes, and an £8,000 laptop – all found in the building.

A pair of designer sunglasses stolen from a Porche outside one of the targeted houses was also recovered. 

Three suspects were arrested, including convicted burglar McKenzie Randle who officers found hiding under a large pile of clothes inside one of the flats.

Randle, aged 27, of Pickard Street, Mansfield, went on to admit three counts of burglary and theft from a motor vehicle following the late-night crime spree.

The court heard he was also involved in a previous incident on 19 July 2021, in which a man was attacked on a footpath in Mansfield, before having his phone and wallet taken. The victim’s bank card was then used at a number of locations.

Following a police investigation, Randle admitted his involvement and pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, theft and fraud.

He appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on 19 July, with a judge hearing he had 39 previous convictions to his name – including burglary, shop thefts and drug offences.

For these latest crimes, he was jailed for three years and eight months.  

Detective Constable David Smith, who led the burglary investigation, said:

“Despite his relatively young age, Randle has an extensive offending history demonstrating his clear disregard for abiding by the law.

“He committed these latest burglaries without any regard whatsoever for the financial and significant emotional impact on the victims and I am pleased he is back behind bars.

“I’d like to thank the response officers who immediately attended the scene and began investigating what had happened.

“Within a very short space of time they had secured the area, located an address of interest, and detained three suspects.

“I hope this sentence reassures people the force takes all reports of this nature extremely seriously and is committed to bringing offenders to justice.”