PROLIFIC burglars have been jailed for a series of break-ins across the Midlands, including the Redditch and Bromsgrove areas.
Mark Toogood, aged 28 and of Stourbridge Road in Dudley, and Matthew Clinton Brookes, also 28 and of Field Road in Tipton, were sentenced to nine years and seven and a half years respectively.
Both admitted conspiracy to burgle address in Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire, and were sentenced by Judge Robert Juckes at Worcester Crown Court last Wednesday (May 21).
The investigation was launched when Toogood was arrested for burglary last June and found to be selling property from his offences on free websites.
Detectives analysed his phones and used data from automatic number plate recognition cameras to link him to about 38 burglaries across the Midlands over the previous year.
Through Toogood, police were able to trace Brookes who could be linked to about 20 of the offences.
In December, Toogood was jailed for 32 months for three burglaries – two in Redditch and one in Fairfield near Bromsgrove – for which he was arrested in June.
Det Con Dave Louden of West Mercia Police said: “This was a very complex and indepth case involving West Mercia and various other police forces.
“As the websites Toogood used were registered in Canada, it became an international inquiry and we had to seek the permission of the authorities over there to access information about how he had used the internet to advertise and offload the stolen goods.
“A lot of hard work went into bringing these charges against both Toogood and Brookes and we are very pleased with the result.”
Matthew Brookes (s).
