Yahoo Finance Burglar jailed after being caught red-handed up close on doorbell camera
Watch: Burglar jailed after being caught red-handed up close on doorbell camera
A burglar has been jailed after she was caught up close on the property’s doorbell camera.
Tanya Walt, 43, crept through the front door of the house in Sunderland on 25 July last year.
The homeowners were watching television in the front room when they heard the door open and went out to confront the intruder.
Walt immediately fled the property but her face had been captured on the doorbell camera when she had tried to enter the house.
To catch the burglar, the family uploaded the clip from their doorbell camera to Facebook and appealed to people to identify the woman.
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Walt’s own cousin who recognised her and reported her to the police.
When officers went to Walt’s home, they found the same pink scarf she wore during the botched break-in.
Walt admitted to burglary with intent to steal on Friday at Newcastle Crown Court and was jailed for 10 months.
Detective Sergeant Chris-Raper Smith, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was a fairly unsophisticated crime as Walt sneaked into a family home late at night in a bid to get her hands on anything of value.
“But her deception was uncovered by the victims who heard the front door open, and sure enough footage on their video doorbell led to Walt being quickly identified as the offender.
“With the evidence against her already overwhelming, officers carried out a search of her address and located the same pink scarf that she had been wearing during the commission of the offence.
“I would like to thank the victims for their cooperation throughout this case and make no apology for taking burglars off our streets.
“Burglary is such an intrusive crime and we will continue to use every tactic at our disposal to put burglars and thieves before the courts.”
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