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Teen burglars jailed after police found them ‘pretending to be asleep’ in house

Despite sharing two beds between them, the boys denied knowing one another or having any involvement in the burglary.

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Three teenagers who fled from a police helicopter before being found by officers huddled up in bed pretending to be asleep have been jailed.

After receiving reports from the public of a group of young people acting suspiciously in Leighton Buzzard, the police tracked the offenders to a house in Meadow Way in the town.

Once inside, the officers found the trio, and a 16-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, undressed and pretending to be asleep “alongside a large number of items of stolen jewellery”, Bedfordshire Police said.

Despite sharing two beds between them, the boys denied knowing one another or having any involvement in the burglary.

Mark Boyce, 19, of Southwood Road in Dunstable, Patrick Casey, 19, of Aldbanks in Dunstable, and Seth Lee, 19, of Wheatfield Close in Leighton Buzzard, were sentenced to a total of seven years and two months at Luton Crown Court on Friday over a burglary on June 15.

Lee was jailed for 40 months, Casey for 24 months and Boyce for 22 months. Boyce received a shorter sentence because he returned one watch stolen in the burglary and handed it in to court.

Detective Constable Andrew Boston, who investigated the case, said: “This was one of the more unusual cover stories for a group of burglars that I’ve encountered, but unfortunately for them our officers didn’t buy it.

“The property recovered in the bedrooms where we found the offenders was identified as having been stolen from another house in the nearby neighbourhood. This allowed us to build a strong case against the offenders, who brazenly attempted to deny their involvement in this burglary.

“Hopefully this will serve as a warning to others who think they are above the law – we are committed to catching anyone who looks to profit from other people’s misery,” DC Boston said.

A 16-year-old boy also pleaded guilty to burglary, and will be sentenced at a later date.

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