Prolific burglar jailed for stealing £9,800 worth of laptops
On three separate occasions during the same month, Townsend broke into a commercial premises and stole laptops
A prolific burglar has been sent back to prison after he committed a number of burglaries in Northampton.
On the morning of June 29, 2024, Wayne Townsend, of no fixed address, forced entry into a staff-only area at Northampton General Hospital and then stole cash from a vending machine.
A couple of weeks later on the evening of July 9, Townsend entered a restaurant in the town’s Wellingborough Road and once inside, stole a staff member’s handbag with one of their bank cards inside then used it fraudulently at a nearby supermarket.
Then, on three separate occasions during the same month, Townsend broke into a commercial premises in Christchurch Road and stole laptops from within, worth £9,800.
An investigation was launched, and Townsend was arrested and subsequently charged with five counts of burglary and one count of fraud by false representation.
After appearing at Northampton Crown Court on July 14, Townsend returned to the same court the following day and was sentenced to two years and six months in prison.
Lead investigator - PC Lewis Marks said: “Wayne Townsend is a prolific burglar and so it is great news for the people of Northampton that he is back in prison and unable to steal anyone else’s hard-earned possessions.
“Townsend believed he could operate with impunity but we take a zero-tolerance approach to this kind of criminal activity and I hope this result reassures our local communities.”