Bungling burglar films himself on his own phone

Emmanuel Jerome, 23, thought he was switching on a ‘’torch’’ during the night-time raid on a house in Huddersfield last autumn, but instead he activated the video recording function.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday how police discovered the incriminating clips following Jerome’s arrest at the scene of another crime.

Jerome, of Little Wood Croft, Newsome, Huddersfield, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit burglaries following a trial last month and Judge John Potter was told yesterday that he still protested his innocence.

The phone clips related to a break-in at a house in Adelphi Road which was visited three times by a team of burglars while the owners were away on holiday.

Property worth tens of thousands of pounds was taken and Judge Potter told Jerome: “Significantly, in my view, camera footage of the invasion of that property was captured on your mobile phone.

“You, in my judgement, were an important member of the team that attacked (that property) on those occasions.’’

Although the conspiracy charge related to a spate of burglary attacks over a period between August and November last year the judge accepted that Jerome’s involvement was limited to a four-week period when he took part in the break-in at Adelphi Road and attempted burglaries at three other properties on the night of his arrest.

Prosecutor Giles Bridge submitted that Jerome had also acted as a link to Manchester for the selling on of vehicles taken during the raids.

Barrister Martin Sharpe, for Jerome, pointed out that although his client had previous convictions for house burglary as a teenager he had not committed similar offences for more than five years.

Mr Sharpe said Jerome was now a married man and his wife was expecting their first child.

Judge Potter said some of the burgled properties had been occupied at the time and property including cars, mobile phones and jewellery had been stolen.