Burglar jailed after ransacking Northampton home

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after he stole more than £13,000 worth of goods from a Northampton home.

Matthew Howard, 30, previously of Lings, Northampton, broke into the Wellingborough family home in August 2021 by gaining entry via a bathroom window.

Once inside, Howard stole items from every single room including a TV, Xbox, laptops, jewellery, hair straighteners and perfume. He also stole a credit card which he then subsequently used to buy himself items at a number of stores including JD Sports, Sainsbury’s and Superdrug.

The cost of all the items stolen exceeded £13,000.

Howard was tracked down by Northamptonshire Police’s Burglary Team and subsequently charged with one count of burglary and eight counts of fraud.

At Northampton Crown Court at the beginning of November he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Lead Investigator, PC Mark Edkins, said: “The family whose home was broken into here were on holiday when Howard entered their property and helped himself to handfuls of their hard-earned goods. When they returned they were shocked to find their home ransacked.

“People often underestimate how violated a person can feel when their home has been burgled. Your home is the one place where you should feel safe so to know that someone has forced their way in and stolen your property can be hugely distressing.

“I am really pleased therefore that we managed to track Howard down and bring him to justice for his crimes. I hope he learns his lesson and decides to make better life choices when he is released from prison.”