This tiny spot of blood was enough to bring a brazen burglar to justice after he caused more than £5,000 of damage during a break-in.
Grant Eggleston accidentally cut himself as he broke into a home in Wearside and stole the boiler and copper piping.
The 47-year-old pulled sinks and taps from the wall, tore up carpets and floorboards, and left a trail of destruction inside the Houghton address just days before new tenants were due to move in.
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But Eggleston’s deception was uncovered after the Force’s Forensic Services department scoured the crime scene and found the smallest of blood traces, which came back as a forensic match,
Eggleston, of Seaton Avenue, Houghton-le-Spring, denied the offence in police interview, but with the weight of evidence against him overwhelming, he later admitted he was responsible for the burglary which he committed on February 20 last year.
On March 11, he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and was jailed for 32 months.
Detective Constable Alex Hadwin, of Northumbria Police’s Southern Burglary Team, said: “Eggleston is a prolific burglar who has consistently shown a total disregard for both the law and others in his community.
“On this particular occasion, he caused a huge amount of damage as he tore up carpets and floorboards to steal copper piping, and ripped a boiler from the wall.
“New tenants were meant to be moving into the property just days after he committed this offence. I am therefore pleased that he has been brought to justice – despite his false claims in interview that he only entered the address after seeing water spurting out the back of the house.
“This case once again highlights the power of forensics, and how our fantastic teams can detect the tiniest spots of blood, saliva or other fluids. Their expert work in this case irrefutably proved that Eggleston was the man responsible.
“I’d like to thank everyone involved in this case, and hope it sends a strong message to other would-be burglars in Northumbria. You will be pursued, you will be caught and you will have your day in court.”
In March 2010, Eggleston was convicted of burgling the house next door to the one he most recently targeted and was subsequently jailed for three years.
He now begins another custodial term.
