A man who was caught red-handed on a dashcam while stealing a van has been sentenced to three years in prison.
Richard Lake, 36, tried to remove the dashcam from a Citroen Berlingo van he was stealing — but instead filmed himself sitting inside the vehicle.
Earlier the same day, Lake had been captured on CCTV burgling a house in Robin Mews, Wisbech. He stole the van keys and two Samsung Galaxy tablets after watching and waiting for the homeowner to leave the property.
The break-in took place at 8.44am on 12 August 2023.
Unbeknown to Lake, the van was fitted with a tracker. The device alerted the owner, who reported the vehicle stolen. Tracking data quickly showed the van stationary in Acacia Avenue, Wisbech.
Officers were directed to a nearby field by the tracking company, where they found numerous resuscitation dummies and first aid items scattered across the area. These items had been inside the van at the time it was stolen.
Police also recovered the dashcam, which contained incriminating footage of Lake inside the vehicle after his failed attempts to remove it resulted in him recording himself.
Lake, of Ingle Road, Elm, Wisbech, denied burgling the house and stealing the van. However, he was found guilty on 10 December and sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday, 18 December, to three years in prison.
Detective Sergeant Rhiann Ward said: “Lake waited on the man to leave his home before breaking in – he has no comprehension of the impact this causes victims of burglary.
“I hope the victim will move forward whereas Lake will be spending this Christmas behind bars where he belongs.”
Lake’s accomplice in the burglary, Marcus Ellis, who was 29 at the time and of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of a vehicle when he appeared in court two years ago. He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on 8 November 2023 to one year and three months in prison.
