Man convicted for burglaries in Crawley Down

A man appeared in court and was convicted over a spate of burglaries in Crawley Down.

Officers across the force have been working hard to investigate and arrest known offenders for burglary.

This includes after reports of a series of break-ins in Crawley Down around Bowers Place in the early hours of March 22.

Sussex Police can confirm that Tony Cooper, 32, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with fraud by false representation, four counts of attempted burglary and three counts of theft from a vehicle.

He was remanded in custody to appear before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 26 March, where he pleaded guilty to all offences.

He was further remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on 23 April.

A 39-year-old man from Bognor Regis and a 23-year-old man from Croydon were also arrested in connection with the incidents, and have been released on conditional bail until 2 April and 21 June respectively, as the investigation continues.

Meanwhile, police are working hard to tackle burglaries across the county, with other suspects arrested, charged and remanded with offences. 

Detective Inspector Ed Bohnet said: "Officers have been working hard to tackle burglary and to catch offenders, and we are pleased that Cooper was convicted in court.

"In addition, we are aware of a spate of burglaries in the North Bersted area of Bognor. We can confirm that two suspects were charged and are currently remanded as part of our ongoing investigations into these.

"So we are making progress at charging suspects who are now awaiting further dates in court.

"We understand the traumatic impact burglary has on victims, both financially and emotionally.

"We carry out a significant amount of engagement work with residents, victims and the business community to prevent crime and bring perpetrators to justice.

"Our burglary success rate improved, with a rise in successful outcomes, and a fall in the overall number of burglaries reported to the police.

"We are aware of local social media groups posting reports of crime, but we are unable monitor these or view these in closed groups.

"The evidence from the CCTV and doorbell footage is vital for our investigations and we request group admins to encourage their members to report every crime that is posted.

"We encourage victims to continue to report crime and any suspicious behaviour, and we will investigate all reports thoroughly. Always call 999 in an emergency."

Further crime prevention advice to residents is available on the Sussex Police website.