AN ILL-FATED burglar fell into the hands of police when he raided a bungalow deliberately set up as bait to trap criminals.

Neil Newling of Capel Road in Enfield picked the wrong home when he broke into an empty looking bungalow in Hatfield.

The unsuspecting crook failed to realise sophisticated CCTV had been installed inside the bungalow to film burglars in action.

St Albans Crown Court heard how on the evening of January 11 this year, an ingenuous Newling climbed through an open window that had been conveniently left open.

In the next few minutes he stole a laptop computer, a DVD and a games console, not realising his every move was being filmed.

Days later police, who had managed to identify Newling from the footage, arrested him and bought him back to Hertfordshire for questioning.

The 36-year-old was shown the film of his break-in and immediately admitted his part in seven more burglaries.

He pleaded guilty to the burglary in Hatfield and asked for seven similar offences to be taken into consideration.

The exact address of the bungalow was not given in court but police say it is a ploy used from time to time to catch burglars.

The property was the type normally occupied by elderly people and police had deliberately made it look as though it was occupied.

The court heard Newling had chalked up a long record of house burglaries - his criminal behaviour fuelled by drug use.

Imran Khan, defending, said Newling now wanted to change his way of life and confront his problem with drugs.

Judge Stephen Warner sentenced him to a community order to run for two years during which time Newling will be under the supervision of the probation service.

The judge told him he would also be subject to a drugs rehabilitation programme which consists of regular drug testing.

4:27pm Friday 9th May 2008

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