Bungling criminals snared by trackable stolen bluetooth headphones
Two bungling criminals were caught within hours of a house raid thanks to stolen Bluetooth headphones which were trackable.
Clumsy Sam Murdoch broke into a shared house on Foster Drive, Gateshead, and took a laptop, a power pack, chargers, a passport, a jumper, and a one-year-old Audi A1 from the driveway, having found keys on the kitchen table.
The dozy burglar entered via the property's back door at around 7.30am on July 22, awaking the occupants as the home was raided.
The police were called and quick-thinking officers tracked one of the victim's stolen Bluetooth headphones to Sunderland Road in Gateshead.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the police arrived at 11am and Murdoch's accomplice Liam Curry, 30, was seen at the back of the address and would not answer the door.
Police saw a number of stolen items, as described by the victims, in the rear yard, before a female then responded to their calls.
Panicking, Curry, of Sunderland Road, was seen clambering out of a top floor window and into a neighbouring block.
Police entered that property and found cowering Curry hiding under the bed on the top floor. He was arrested at 11.30am.
While searching the area and speaking to neighbours about Curry police saw Murdoch, of Firtrees, Leam Lane, pull into an alleyway in the stolen motor, heading towards Curry's address.
An officer noticed he was wearing white gloves as he got out the car and began to question him, prompting Murdoch, 26, to give some false answers before fleeing.
But he didn't get far - after running across the street and colliding into the back of a bin lorry, making it yet another easy arrest for cops on Sunderland Road.
Murdoch, 26, claimed in interview he was "test driving" the car for a friend, the court heard.
Curry previously pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods while Murdoch admitted burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and driving without insurance or a licence.
Murdoch also pleaded guilty to making off without payment, in a separate offence.
The court heard how he had taken a taxi from Consett and told the driver he had no money, but that a female at the destination would pay.
He gave the driver his phone as insurance and when they arrived, the female refused to cough up the £44.
Murdoch asked for his phone back so he could call somebody else to pay the fee, then fled, but he was soon caught by cops who had been called by the driver.
Curry was given an 18-month community order while Murdoch was sent to jail for 27 months.
Murdoch's offences in both June and July were committed in breach of a suspended sentence from a different burglary.
Recorder Jeremy Barnett handed him a two-year sentence for burglary and a three month stint for breaching his suspended sentence, meaning 27-months in total.
For the related theft charge he was given nine months, to run concurrently.
He got one month for making off without payment, to run concurrently.
He also got six points on his licence and a six month driving ban for using the car without insurance or a licence.
Curry was told by Recorder Barnett: "You appeared today hoping you would get a chance before Christmas, and you're going to get a chance.
"I hope I'm not setting you up to fail. If you carry on doing this you're going to go to prison for a long time."
Curry responded: "Thank you very much, judge, I won't let you down."
Words: Matt Young