A burglar who commuted by train to carry out a series of break-ins was caught red-handed in Brighton.
Darren Alleyne targeted homes across Sussex and Surrey over eight months, coming and going on the railways, police said.
Police said: “Alleyne, 44, of no fixed abode, would commute to various towns across the two counties and prowl the streets looking for insecure or empty homes where he could force open a front or back door.
“Once inside he would stuff high-value items such as electronics or jewellery into a large shopping bag before jumping on a getaway train out of the area. He would later sell the stolen goods on for cash.
“Alleyne hoped to outsmart law enforcement by travelling as far afield as Woking and Horsham, Guildford, Reigate and Merstham and by regularly changing his mobile phone.”
The burglaries appear to have started last July and Alleyne’s strategy appeared to be working until he was arrested in March.
Police said: “He was unable to evade CCTV and doorbell footage, which Surrey officers were able to recover, showing him at the scene of several crimes.
“Officers caught him in Brighton after he travelled there by train. When he was arrested, he had already committed burglaries in the city and was found in possession of items stolen from these addresses.
“Alleyne was charged on Wednesday 25 March with 10 burglaries and two counts of fraud by false representation.
“He was remanded and later pleaded guilty to all charges.
“On Friday 15 May he was sentenced to six years in prison at Guildford Crown Court.”
PC Luke Lightburn, from Surrey Police, said: “Alleyne literally treated burglary as his job. He would commute regularly by train, find a place to break into and brazenly travel home with a bag of stolen goods as if nothing had happened.
“Due to the manner of his offending, it took some time to track Alleyne down and pull together all the evidence we needed.
“I am pleased that, following months of determination and teamwork, we were able to hunt him down and get him behind bars.”
