Burglar caught and jailed after leaving fingerprint on windowsill

A fingerprint left on a windowsill ensured an intruder was convicted of burglary for a fourth time.

Opportunistic burglar Callum Fearon crept into a Nottingham city centre flat after noticing a window was damaged and couldn't lock.

Having invited himself into the student property in Shakespeare Street, Fearon stole a laptop and a purse full of cash.

The 34-year-old then made his exit, having avoided detection and – to his knowledge – not left any trace he'd ever been there, in the early hours of 27 March this year.

That last assumption was wrong however, with Fearon eventually leading police right to him after unwittingly leaving a fingerprint on a windowsill during the break-in.

Having found the print while scouring the burglary scene, Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) lifted it and established it belonged to Fearon, who had three previous convictions for burglary.

His picture was duly shared internally across the force, meaning neighbourhood officers were able to recognise and arrest him when he was spotted walking through Hyson Green on 3 April.

Having admitted to a charge of burglary, Fearon, of no fixed address, was jailed for 876 days – around two years and five months – during his sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (3 June).

Detective Constable Tom Dawes, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"It's fair to say Callum Fearon is well-known to us, due to his long offending history.

"This week's sentencing represents the fourth time he's now been convicted of burglary – a horribly invasive crime that can cause real upset – so we're naturally pleased to see him behind bars.

"Fearon's criminal history meant we already had his details on file, so we were quickly able to establish he was the person responsible for this break-in after his fingerprints were discovered at the scene.

"As this incident showed, a lot of burglaries are carried out by opportunistic criminals, so it's important people make it harder for these offenders to operate by doing simple things like keeping their windows and doors secure."

For more information and advice about protecting your home from crime, visit: https://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime/