'Dangerous' burglar who smashed his way into a Northamptonshire home on Christmas Day given life sentence

Patrick Connors, 54, previously of Lincoln, also uses the alias Edward Stout, and on Tuesday, November 26, he was sentenced for nine burglaries.

One of the burglaries happened on Christmas Day while the homeowners were out, with Connors smashing a back window to gain entry to the property in Brackley Road, Towcester, and stealing jewellery from within.

The following day, he broke into another property on the same street by smashing a back door. Once inside he stole more jewellery and bottles of alcohol.

And on December 27, to finish off his Christmas crime spree, Connors broke into a property in Queens Road, Towcester, by smashing the window of a side door and stealing more jewellery.

At Northampton Crown Court, he was handed a life sentence and must serve a minimum of six years and four months for all of the offences before he is considered for parole.

Explaining her reasoning for the life sentence, Her Honour Judge Lucking, said: “There is no reliable estimate of the length of time you will remain a danger to the public.”

Connors was jailed as part of Operation Crooked - a campaign run bu Northamptonshire Police to reduce crime across the county.

Detective Sergeant Terry Rush, said: “The fact that all Patrick Connors had to do on Christmas Day was burgle says it all.

“While people were out celebrating Christmas with their family and friends, Connors used their absence to his advantage and stole from them.

“I hope this case demonstrates that we work 24/7, around the clock, and that there isn’t a day in the year where people can get away with crime.

“I am very pleased to see Connors behind bars with a life sentence and hope that his time inside allows him to reflect on his life choices and make better ones when he comes out, including how best to spend Christmas Day."

As part of the operation, the burglary team, which sits within CID, ensure that every burglary victim in Northamptonshire is guaranteed a visit from the police.

They are also working to review and drive-up the quality of investigations, manage and progress forensic hits, hunt down wanted people, organise police patrols in areas of concern and gather intelligence to prevent burglaries before they happen.