A Carlisle burglar who stole thousands of pounds worth of goods has been jailed.

David Kirkup, from Carlisle, was yesterday, June 6, sentenced to 21 months in prison.

The 25-year-old admitted offences of burglary and theft from a motor vehicle when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court on May 9 and was sentenced at the same court yesterday.

On April 2, at around 12.45am, police were called by a member of the public living in Uldale Road in Carlisle who had chased an intruder from his home.

However, the man had fled with a PlayStation 4 and other electronics worth around £500.

Officers attended and carried out house-to-house enquiries which led to securing Ring doorbell footage of the suspect from neighbours.

A further victim was also identified – a member of the public whose motor vehicle had been entered and tools and other equipment worth an estimated £2,000 taken.

Stills from the footage were circulated to officers which resulted in the man pictured being identified as Kirkup.

Officers arrested Kirkup later that same day.
In his police interview, Kirkup told officers he had bought the PlayStation from a friend and denied having stolen it.

However, he admitted the offences at court.

Police Constable Matthew Owens said: “Burglary offences can have a terrible impact on victims who experience a stranger entering their home and stealing their belongings.

“In this instance, the incident was reported quickly and we were able to take swift action which resulted in the offender being quickly identified. This saw him being arrested and interviewed by police on the same day he committed the offence.

“Cumbria Police takes all reports of burglary extremely seriously and is committed to working with communities to bring offenders to justice.”