A burglar who stole a three-month-old puppy and six firearms during a break-in in Toft near Cambridge has been jailed for more than five years. On 18 March, Sullivan Lee smashed the patio doors of a property in Hardwick Road before entering the home and taking a Dachshund puppy named Peggy from her crate in the kitchen.
During the burglary, Lee also ripped two firearms cabinets from the wall and stole six firearms. He fled the scene in a blue Mini, also taking the keys to a Toyota Hilux.
CCTV later captured Lee driving a black Audi S3 in convoy with the stolen Mini. Officers identified him, and his DNA was recovered from inside the abandoned Mini, which was discovered in Northamptonshire on 24 March.
Police confirmed the Audi S3 had itself been stolen days earlier during a burglary in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, on 14 March.
Following a media appeal, Peggy the puppy was found abandoned four days after the burglary and safely returned to her owner.
Further investigation linked Lee to another burglary in Little Eriswell, near Brandon in Suffolk, on 10 May, where approximately £800 worth of jewellery was stolen.
At Cambridge Crown Court on 31 March, Lee, 24, of no fixed address, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.
PC Andy Smith, from the Southern Acquisitive Crime Team, said: “Thankfully in this case, Peggy was found and returned to her owners. Lee repeatedly targeted people’s homes with no regard for the fear and distress he caused.
“We hope this sentence offers some reassurance that we will continue to pursue and bring prolific burglars to justice.”
