Burglar has been jailed

A 30-year-old man has been jailed for five and a half years after admitting a series of burglaries in Suffolk, Essex, the Metropolitan Police area and Cambridgeshire.

A 30-year-old man has been jailed for five and a half years after admitting a series of burglaries in Suffolk, Essex, the Metropolitan Police area and Cambridgeshire.

Tim Gell, of Melville Heath, South Woodham Ferrers, was originally arrested by Essex Police and was subsequently charged with burgling four homes in the county – two in South Ockendon on May 4 and two in Harwich on May 6 this year. In all four cases items of jewellery were stolen.

Suffolk Police believed he may have been responsible for other offences and officers from the Constabulary’s Operation Converter team began work with him.

He went on to admit 23 further offences including ten burglaries in Suffolk – nine of them at homes in the county – ten further Essex offences, two home burglaries in the Metropolitan Police area and one home burglary in Cambridgeshire.

The offences date from April 2011 to May 2017 and include, in Suffolk;

A burglary at a home in East Bergholt on 3 April 2017 where a front door was kicked in a search made and electrical items were stolen.

A burglary at a home in Marlesford on 4 April 2017 where a window was smashed and items of jewellery and champagne was taken.

A burglary at a home in Earl Soham on 5 April 2017 where jewellery was stolen

A burglary at a home in Bromeswell, Suffolk, on April 8 this year, where a back door was kicked in and jewellery and electrical items were stolen.

A break-in at a home at Edwardstone on 11 April 2017 where a back window was smashed and jewellery was taken.

A break-in at a home in Ashbocking between 12 and 21 April 2017 where jewellery was stolen.

A burglary at a home in Felixstowe on 23 May 2016 where again a search was made and jewellery was stolen.

Three burglaries in April 2011 – one at a home Chelmondiston, one at a home in Felixstowe and a third at a business in Felixstowe, where items including jewellery, laptop computers, computer consoles and a camera were stolen.

In Essex/ Metropolitan Police area; 

Two burglaries in Chadwell Heath on 1 May 2017, one where a safe was stolen, the other where jewellery was taken; one in Chelmsford on 26 April this year where a jewellery box and camera were stolen; one in Harwich on May 21 this year where jewellery and photographic equipment was stolen; one in Colchester in January 2013 where the householder disturbed Gell during an attempt to break-in and nothing was stolen; a break-in at business premises in Colchester in November 2010 where a safe and its contents were taken; a break-in at a home in Bicknacre on 19 April 2017 where photographic equipment, jewellery and a laptop computer were stolen; two burglaries at homes in Runwell on 27 April this year where jewellery, cash and electrical items were taken; two burglaries in Stock on 26 April 2017 where jewellery and a laptop computer were stolen;  and a burglary at a home in Chelmsford in April 2010 where again he was disturbed and no property was stolen.

In Cambridgeshire;  A burglary at a home in Melbourn on 21 April 2017 where a window was smashed and photographic equipment was stolen.

This morning, Thursday 13 July, Gell appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court where he was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.  

It’s known he stole over £5,000 worth of property and caused more than £2,000 worth of damage during the course of the crimes.

Detective Inspector Matthew Adams, who oversees Suffolk’s Operation Converter team said; "This case again demonstrates both how a spate of burglaries can be down to one offender, with a string of crimes in Suffolk in early to mid-April and in Essex from mid-April to early May. 

"He committed offences far and wide from the outskirts of London to Suffolk Coastal to south-west Cambridgeshire.  He was originally arrested by Essex officers on May 8 after he was found in possession of property stolen from a burglary in Harwich on May 6. From there Suffolk’s Operation Converter team became involved and, in liaison with Essex Police, worked with Gell to encourage him to admit any further offences he had been involved in, resulting in 23 further crimes being detected. These were then submitted to be taken into consideration at sentencing, resulting in Gell being jailed for more than five years today.

"We know that home burglaries can be extremely distressing for residents and the impact Gell had should not be underestimated.”

Operation Converter is an initiative aimed at encouraging offenders to admit their crimes. This has benefits for all – police are able to give victims some peace of mind that an offender has been caught for the burglary of their home or the theft of their property and the individual has the opportunity to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released from prison, without the possibility they will later be traced for a further crime. Offenders have to give sufficient detail for officers to be sure they have committed the crime and the judge will look at all the offences before determining the sentence.