Garage raider jailed and suspected house burglar arrested as police burglary crackdown continues

A garage raider has been locked up and a suspected house burglar was arrested within minutes of a reported break-in as police continue to crack down on burglary in the Broxtowe district. 

Christos Iona, aged 24, stole hundreds of pounds worth of power tools and an electric golf trolley after forcing his way into two garages in Thoresby Close and Balmoral Drive in Bramcote.

Fingerprints on a window at one of the addresses and blood found at the scene of the other linked Iona to the crimes he committed on 28 August 2023.

Iona, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court for sentencing on Wednesday (20 September 2023).

He also breached a community order and was jailed for a total of 12 months.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, police arrested a suspected burglar minutes after an attempted break-in at a home in Beeston this week.

Officers were called to Anderson Crescent, at around 6.30pm on Tuesday (19 September), following reports a man had tried to gain entry to a property through a window. 

A member of the public called 999 after she spotted a man behaving suspiciously on footage captured by her doorbell camera. 

He was seen to pick up a brick before the victim heard someone pulling on her living room window. 

A description was passed to officers and a suspect was spotted in nearby Clifford Avenue. The man attempted to run away from the scene but was quickly detained. 

A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary with intent to steal. Inquiries are ongoing. 

Inspector Mike Ebbins, District Commander of Broxtowe, said: “As a policing team we are fully aware of the impact burglary has on victims, both financially and emotionally.  

"My officers have been working incredibly hard to tackle this issue, with additional focused patrols and targeting those committing crime.

"I hope our positive results to tackle burglary reassure the public how committed we are to pursuing suspects and bringing them before the court to face justice.”