Dog flap burglars caught by DNA and witnesses

Two burglars stole £5,000 worth of items from a house in South Cambridgeshire after crawling through a dog flap.

Winston Papalaka, 28, and Ben Hatto, 43, broke into the house in Milton Road, Impington, between 10.30am and 11.50am, on 24 June, 2021, while the victim was out food shopping.

They ransacked rooms looking for valuable goods and stole items including a laptop, three watches, diamond and sapphire earrings, a Tiffany gold ring, Euros and cash.

On returning home, the victim noticed the dog flap on the back door had been slightly damaged.

Papalaka and Hatto left via the front door but Papalaka had been spotted by someone who recognised him.

They had also been seen acting suspiciously by residents in the village at about 11.20am.

One resident had noticed Hatto looking round the front of her home and ringing the video doorbell but when questioned he claimed to be looking for directions to the guided busway. The woman thought this odd, as the busway was only up the road.

On checking her CCTV, both Papalaka and Hatto were seen walking up the driveway of the house. The men then walked from the woman’s house to the Milton Road property about 15 minutes away.

A second neighbour living opposite went to her car and noticed jewellery laying on the ground which she returned to the victim.

House-to-house enquiries identified another witness, a man working on the roof of a nearby house, who identified Papalaka by name and said he’d seen him throwing items out from a laptop bag around his neck as he walked along the street.

An officer went to where the items were said to have been thrown and found a paracetamol box, a receipt and a post office seal bag. The bag was sent for forensic tests and Hatto’s fingerprints were found inside.

Both men were arrested and charged with burglary.

Papalaka, of Harold Road, London, denied the offence but was found guilty after standing trial at Peterborough Crown Court in June.

He was jailed for four years and six months at the same court on Monday (29 July).

Hatto, of North Denes Road, Great Yarmouth, admitted the offence at a previous hearing and is due to be sentenced on Friday, 13 September.

Detective Constable Lisa Bacon, who investigated, said: “Papalaka showed a complete disregard for the victim by throwing some of the stolen haul onto the street.

“I would like to thank the eagle-eyed residents and witnesses – the woman who noticed the men outside her home, the neighbour gardening, the man working on the roof of a house nearby and the neighbour opposite who noticed jewellery on the ground near her car.

“Although they may seem like small snippets of information, this case highlights how these snippets come together to help us solve crimes.”

DC Bacon added that it was hard to imagine how the victim must have felt having returned home to find her house ransacked and sentimental items stolen.

She said: “Burglary is an invasion of your home – the place you should feel safest. It can have a huge impact on victims, not only because of sentimental and irreplaceable items stolen, but also the devastation of no longer feeling safe.

“This is why tackling it is one of our priorities and we are working hard every day to bring offenders before the courts.”

For advice on how to keep your home safe from burglars, visit the force’s dedicated web page.