Bedford burglar caught by the seat of his pants after fibers from his jeans were found at the scene Bedford News

A burglar who was arrested when fibers from his jeans were found on a garden gate has been jailed for nearly five years.

Peter Smith, 38, of Prebend Street, Bedford, was jailed for two incidents in Kempston in August last year.

On August 13, a man was at his home on Springfield Avenue when he heard someone attempting to break into the side door of the property.

The man called the police and alerted Smith, who fled the scene.

Bedfordshire police, guided by the victim’s description of the burglar, found Smith on Chanty Road in Kempston – but when they tried to speak to him he fled and attempted to jump over a front fence to be arrested.

An investigation of the victim’s address revealed that the door had been damaged, which matched a claw hammer found near where Smith’s arrest took place.

Pieces of gear matching Smith’s jeans were found on the garden gate, further linking him to the break-in, while he was also identified from CCTV footage.

Smith’s DNA was also found at a nearby address in Elstow Road which was broken into a week earlier.

In this incident, a large amount of valuable jewelry was stolen while the victim was out.

Smith pleaded guilty to both burglary and attempted burglary at Luton Crown Court on Friday August 6.

He received a sentence of four years and nine months for the burglary and a sentence of three years and nine months for the attempted burglary, which will run at the same time.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, who led the investigation, said: “Smith has targeted a number of properties in Kempston for personal gain.

“He initially denied any responsibility for any of the incidents and, even when challenged with DNA and CCTV evidence, refused to admit his guilt.

“Smith will spend a long time behind bars where he will no longer be able to cause misery in our communities.

“As this case shows, we have a range of tactics and techniques at our disposal to catch the burglars ravaging Bedfordshire and bring them to justice.”