A 43-year-old man has been jailed for four years after attempting to break into homes in Bury St Edmunds.

Neil Charles, of Beaumont Close, also in the market town, attempted to burgle two homes between March 2 and 31.

He was arrested on March 31 after unwittingly triggering a doorbell camera as he attempted to break into a property in Horsecroft Road.

Although there was no trace of Charles on arrival, police identified him from the footage before arresting him at his home address around 10.15pm and taking him to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre.

During his interview, Charles was shown the video footage and admitted to attempting to break into the house on two occasions, on March 24 and again on March 31.

Although he gave ‘no comment’ during an interview about another attempted burglary in Fountains Road on March 2, further enquiries led police to charge Charles with three counts of attempted burglary.

The defendant appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on September 7, where he was sentenced to four years behind bars.

Temporary Detective Inspector, Craig Brett, said: “Charles is a prolific offender with a significant number of previous convictions of burglary.

“Thankfully he was unsuccessful in gaining access to these two homes and nothing was taken, however I hope his sentence brings some peace of mind to the victims.

“This case really illustrates the value of cameras as crime reduction devices which captured the offender and directly lead to his arrest.

“There are a number of smart technology products available today that are not only affordable but can help deter and detect a burglar to help keep our communities safe from crime.”