A 63-year-old man was jailed last week for two residential burglaries in Herefordshire.

Martin Bradley, of Austin Road in Bromsgrove, was handed a 16-month prison sentence for the burglaries which he committed in 2023.

The court heard that Bradley had forced an entry into a property in Ullingswick on May 23, causing damage to the house, and stole household items and taxidermy poultry.

A week later, on May30 , Bradley broke into a second property in Dinedor.

On this occasion a quantity of cash was stolen along with items of jewellery and garden tools.

The court was told that Bradley used two different vehicles in the burglary – using one to flee the scene in and then switched to another shortly after.

He was charged with two counts of burglary dwelling and theft on May 31, 2023 and pleaded guilty to the offences in February this year.

Bradley was sentenced to 16-months imprisonment for both charges which will run concurrently.

DC Simon Caine of proactive CID in Hereford said: “Despite Bradley switching vehicles after fleeing from the Dinedor burglary to evade police, he was stopped by officers in Bromyard later the same day, and items from the break-in were located. They had been stashed under his drivers’ seat.

“The police were able to identify Bradley’s vehicle at Ullingswick through CCTV footage. He had been seen at the property 11 days before the offence and then again on the day he broke in.

“We will continue to pursue offenders like Bradley whose actions cause financial loss and emotional distress to victims.”

Separately, Herefordshire Rural Crime have been working with the National Construction and Agricultural Theft Team and as a result stolen plant machinery and vehicles have since been recovered. The police advise that all serial numbers on equipment should be noted so that stolen property can be returned to the rightful owners.