Man Sentenced For Burglary

4 April 2011, 12:02 | Updated: 4 April 2011, 12:05

A man from Milton Keynes has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison after being found guilty of burglary.

Michael Markou, aged 36, from Hume Close, Bradville, was found guilty of burglary at Huntingdon Crown Court on Thursday (31/3).

On 7 November last year, Markou smashed the front door of a house in Newport Road, Hardmead, to gain entry to the property which activated the security alarm.

A concerned neighbour contacted the father of the property owner to inform him the alarm was going off. He then headed towards the property where he saw a vehicle in the driveway. As he approached, the vehicle drove off at speed but he managed to note down the registration. From this, Thames Valley Police was able to track down the vehicle and then the offender, who was arrested the same day. 

Det Con Ed Vince, who led the investigation, said:

“This is a great example of the local community looking out for each other and acting to try and protect their neighbour’s property. Often people hear a security alarm going off and just ignore it. In this case the neighbour did the right thing and let someone know what was happening. As a result of the information given to us about the vehicle we were able to arrest Markou and ensure he was made to face the consequences of breaking into someone’s home.”