Burglar caught by DNA left on water bottle

Lee Morrow was found guilty of burglary

A burglar who stole items including a sentimental and irreplaceable model ship was caught by DNA he left on a bottle of water, a court has heard.

Lee Morrow, 55, also stole bags of clothes, baby formula and a laptop after breaking into a house in Peterlee, County Durham, in November, Teesside Crown Court heard.

He was on bail at the time for burgling a social club with an accomplice and stealing £98 from a fruit machine, the court heard.

Morrow, who was found guilty of two counts of burglary in his absence, was jailed for three years.

The victim of the house burglary was in the process of moving and had left his old home locked for several days, prosecutor Christopher Morrison said.

He returned on 24 November to find someone had broken in and stolen bags of clothes, tubs of baby formula and a laptop, the court heard.

A box containing sentimental items, including a model ship passed down by his late great-grandfather, was also taken, Mr Morrison said.

The burglar had left an open bottle of soda water on the kitchen top, the court heard.

Forensic examination linked DNA found round the bottle's rim to Morrow, who had 100 offences on his criminal record, Mr Morrison said.

'£46 worth of Crunchies'

Two months earlier, Morrow, of Third Street in Horden, and another man had broken into South Side Social Club in Easington and forced open a fruit machine to steal £98, the court heard.

Both men were quickly found sitting in a grey Astra seen leaving the scene, Mr Morrison said.

Following the house burglary, Morrow was again released on bail but this time with a curfew ordering him to be at home each night between 19:00 and 07:00.

At about 21:00 BST on 2 May, so in breach of that curfew, Morrow stole a packet of crisps and £46 worth of Crunchie bars from Sainsbury's in Horden, the court heard.

Recorder Mark McKone KC said the house burglary and shoplifting were aggravated by Morrow being on police bail for the club break-in.

He said the model ship, which had not been found, was something the victim would "never be able to replace".