Man jailed for over two years after admitting to multiple burglaries across East Herts and North London

A man has been jailed for over two years after admitting to multiple burglaries across parts of East Herts and North London.

Charlie Ackhurst, aged 33, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 1 May.

Ackhurst pleaded guilty to all offences on Tuesday 21 April at St Albans Crown Court.

The court heard that shortly before 3am on Friday 30 January, the 33-year-old broke into an address on Kings Court in Bishop’s Stortford, where he damaged a key safe before using the key to enter the property. He stole the keys to a blue Polestar before driving it away from the address towards Enfield. He then committed his next offence in Hoe Lane in Enfield at 4am the same day. He used the same method to damage a key safe and entered the address before taking the keys to a blue Nissan Qashqai and a bank card. He abandoned the Polestar.

On Sunday 1 February at around 3.30am, he broke into an address on Cross Street in Ware. He damaged the key safe and then entered the address, where he stole a quantity of cash and a red Citroen C1.

Ackhurst then continued his offending in the early hours of Friday 6 February, when he attempted to enter a property in Stortford Hall Park in Bishop’s Stortford. He later returned and broke into the property, stealing keys, bank cards and a grey Ford Kuga, before driving it to Enfield where he attempted to use the stolen cards.

Detectives in the East CID investigated the separate reports and linked Ackhurst to each one. He was arrested on Thursday 19 March and later charged with four counts of burglary and theft, and two counts of fraud by false representation.

Detective Constable Adam Raj from the East CID in Hertford said: “This was a strategic and thought-out series of burglaries, with Ackhurst deliberately targeting multiple addresses using the same method in the early hours of the morning.

“Offending of this nature has a significant impact on victims, who are targeted in the place they should feel safest.

“Through a detailed investigation, we were able to link these offences and ensure he was brought before the courts.”

You can check out crime prevention advice on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website.