Two men charged following burglaries in Wealden and Rother

Two men have been charged in relation to burglaries in North Wealden and Rother.

Police were called around 2.20pm on Tuesday (January 18) by a member of the public who had spotted some suspicious behaviour at a property in Sheepstreet Lane, Etchingham.

A blue Vauxhall Astra was seen leaving the scene, and around 6.20pm that evening the same vehicle hit ANPR cameras in Kent.

Officers from Kent Police stopped the car on the M25 and recovered a quantity of jewellery from inside. The jewellery matched that reported stolen during the Etchingham burglary, and a second burglary that had taken place at a property in Eridge Road, Groombridge, around 4.30pm that day.

The two occupants of the car were arrested and returned to Sussex for interview.

James Dunnett, 29, an engineer, of Franklin Road, London, was later charged with two counts of burglary and possessing a knife blade / sharp pointed article in a public place.

Justin Collins, 44, unemployed, of no fixed address, was also charged with two counts of burglary, criminal damage, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Both men were remanded in custody to appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Thursday (January 20).

Detective Sergeant Jason Tuck said: "This was a great example of different teams and different forces working together – from our Response and Neighbourhood Policing Team officers responding to the burglaries, to our Investigations team building a case for charge.

“This also highlights the importance of reporting information to police. Thanks to the vigilance of a member of the public, we were able to identify a vehicle of interest and return a quantity of jewellery to its rightful owners.”

Crime can be reported to police online or by calling 101 – always dial 999 in an emergency.