One in a billion DNA find lands Sherburn burglar in prison

Bradley Dyer, 24, has been jailed for five years for burglary at two addresses in Sherburn-in-Elmet last year.

North Yorkshire Police said that around 2.30am on January 7 2019, Dyer broke into a home on Pasture Way in the village via a UPVC door at the back of the property.

After grabbing two sets of car keys, he and an accomplice stole two Mercedes cars which were parked on the driveway outside.

Around the same time, a second home on the same street was broken into and car keys from inside the property and a BMW 420 parked on the driveway were stolen.

CCTV footage at the first address showed two men getting in to the two Mercedes. Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) examined the address and obtained a DNA sample from a security light. Tests later revealed it generated a “one in a billion match” to Dyer’s DNA.

After the BMW from the second property was recovered by police, DNA, which was found on a screwdriver recovered from the front passenger seat, was also found to match Dyer’s DNA.

One of the Mercedes from the first address was never recovered.

Dyer was arrested and refused to comment to all questions during police interviews but was charged with two burglaries and three vehicle thefts.

After pleading guilty, Dyer, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to five years in prison at York Crown Court on Friday February 7, to be served concurrent to an eight-year sentence already being served. He was also ordered to pay a victims surcharge of £170.00.

Police Investigator Dave Pegg, one of the Burglary Coordinators for North Yorkshire Police said: “Waking up to discover that someone had broken into your home, especially whilst your young child had been asleep upstairs is one of the most terrifying and distressing things that can happen to a person.

“The psychological impact of being burgled is long lasting and can take years for victims to recover and feel safe again in their homes.

“Even though Dyer refused to take any responsibility for his crimes until the final hour, the DNA found at the crime scene produced a positive result – in the end it brought him to justice.

“Whilst no sentence can ever undo the suffering that Dyer caused his victims that night I know that the fact that he is serving a total of eight years imprisonment will bring them some relief that justice has been served and that he remains behind bars for a considerable amount of time.”