Blood smear and muddy footprint on toilet seat led police to burglar's door
A blood smear and a muddy footprint on a toilet seat led police directly to a burglar's door. Adrian Perry, 56, broke into a cake shop Carrington Street in Nottingham city centre on January 4.
Perry smashed a glass window before clambering through it and heading straight for the till. He helped himself to any cash he could find after smashing the till on the floor.
With cash in his pockets he made his way out of the shop through the same window he used to get in. The break in was discovered by staff hours later, who phoned the police.
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As well as leaving a smashed till and glass window, Perry also accidently left a trail of evidence for police to follow. Blood was discovered on the window frame after the intruder cut himself, while a muddy footprint was on a toilet seat he stood on.
When forensic testing of the blood sample revealed it had come from Adrian Perry, plans were put in place to locate and arrest him. He was caught on Wednesday, January 15, while a search of the property he was at led to a pair of trainers being discovered that looked familiar.
Further analysis of the pattern on the sole of the shoes showed them to be strikingly similar to the ones left behind at the store on the muddy footprint. Perry pleaded guilty to burglary when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, January 16.
He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and made to pay the shop owner £250 in compensation. Perry must also complete 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days as part of his sentence.
Detective Constable Tim Townsend, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Thanks to the air-tight case built against him by our team of detectives, Perry was left with nowhere to go when he was charged with this offence. After spotting a sample of blood and a muddy footprint he’d left behind at the scene, we were able to run the tests necessary to identify Perry as the person responsible.
“This burglary once again showed the true value forensic analysis can have in helping us track down someone we’re looking for, whether that be an intruder involved in a break-in or another offence.”