Burglars jailed for £100k new-build homes spree

Michael Bell and Mark Blaney from County Durham admitted multiple counts of burglary

A pair of "greedy" burglars who went on a £100,000 spree targeting new housing developments across the north of England have been jailed.

Michael Bell, 34, and Mark Blaney, 31, carried out a string of break-ins and thefts at building sites in North Yorkshire, the North East and Cumbria between September 2023 and January last year, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

They stole new boilers, doors and white goods "to order" from about 85 homes as they were being built or shortly after they had been finished, preventing people from moving in, the court heard.

Both men from Seaham, County Durham, who were each jailed for two years, admitted multiple counts of burglary, with Bell also admitting paying £7,300 of illegal gains into his bank account.

The pair used hired vans to visit building sites at night, cutting CCTV cameras and smashing their way into houses to remove high value goods, prosecutors said.

They were caught after police investigating a burglary at Walbottle in Newcastle were able to trace their van, which had been hired from Jarrow, South Tyneside.

The vehicle's tracking data showed it had visited multiple building sites across the region before returning to the burglars' homes, the court heard.

Some of the properties had just been completed and sold, with the burglaries causing disruption and upset to those wanting to move in, the court heard.

Bell, of Wynyard Street, and Blaney, of Malvern Crescent, raided sites in:

• Silksworth, Sunderland

• Cramlington, Northumberland

• Carlisle, Cumbria

• Darlington, Borough of Darlington

• Pontefract, West Yorkshire

• Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

• Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire

• Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Prosecutors said there was an "element of stealing to order", suggesting other people were involved in the criminal scheme.

In mitigation, the court heard father-of-two Blaney, an ex-serviceman, was "deeply ashamed" of his actions, while Bell had been struggling with cocaine and gambling addictions.

Recorder Nicholas Lumley KC said both men "became ever more greedy" and would go out night after night to commit crime.

"These were not victimless crimes", the judge said, adding the men's actions prevented people from moving into their new homes and contractors from going on to other jobs, as well as causing major financial issues.