Norwich burglar left bloody bandage at Cambridge break-in

Daniel Grix, 46, of Rouen Road, Norwich, targeted a house in Cambridge in the early hours of November 5 last year.

The homeowner was woken by a loud thud at about 5.30am, and went downstairs to discover the bottom glass panel of her door had been smashed in.

Daniel Grix has been jailed after being found of burglary (Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

She realised a bike lock was on the garden path and her £240 bike, normally stored in the shed, had been stolen.

She also found a bloodied bandage in front of the garden shed and used gloves to move it inside the shed. 

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Forensic checks on the bandage revealed a DNA match to Grix, and he was arrested just over a month later.

Grix admitted one count of burglary in relation to the bike, with jurors finding him not guilty of the attempted burglary of the house.

He was sentenced to eight months in jail at Peterborough Crown Court.

PC Sam Chapman, who investigated, said: “Waking up to find yourself a victim of burglary is the stuff of nightmares. Grix showed a complete lack of regard for the people living at the house he targeted.

Forensic checks on bandage left at scene led to a DNA match for Grix (Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

“Thanks to the vital work of our forensics teams, and the eagle-eyed homeowner who spotted the bandage, we were able to place him at the scene and link him to the crime."

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The prolific thief has previous convictions relating to 26 other burglaries including one earlier this year where he used a car park fire escape to scout a Norwich office block as a potential target.

On that occasion he had put a towel over his head and worn gloves in an unsuccessful attempt to hide his identity from CCTV cameras during the break-in.