Two men used stolen bank cards within an hour of them having been taken in a burglary in Sneinton.
Joelle Duncan, 34, entered the victim’s home in St Stephen’s Road on the night of July 7 last year and stole a wallet containing bank cards.
Duncan had walked by the house and had noticed a set of keys still in the front door. He used this opportunity to enter and steal.
Twenty minutes later Duncan visited Darren Smallwood, 33, at an address in Sneinton Boulevard, Nottingham.
He passed one of the stolen cards to Smallwood who then used it to top-up his mobile phone.
Smallwood was then later caught on CCTV using the same card to buy a bottle of whisky from a city-centre store.
Duncan, previously of St Cuthbert’s Road, Sneinton, used one of the stolen bank cards to buy a packet of cigarettes at a city centre off-licence.
This took place just 40 minutes after the burglary and was captured on CCTV.
Duncan pleaded guilty to charges of burglary, theft and fraud by false representation and was jailed for total of three years and two months when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday January 28.
Smallwood pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation and a charge of handling stolen goods.
He was given a 20-week prison sentence but was immediately released due to the time he had already spent on remand.
Detective Constable Tim Townsend, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Burglary is a serious and deeply upsetting crime which is why the force treats it so seriously.
"People should always feel safe in their homes and that's why we're continuing to work so hard, working closely with our partners, to drive burglary down.
“I’m pleased that we managed to bring this pair to justice and I hope the outcome of our investigation provides reassurance to residents that Nottinghamshire Police we will do everything in its power to catch burglars and bring them to justice.”
