Sittingbourne burglar jailed after leaving blood stain on kitchen cupboard

A blood stain left on a kitchen cupboard has helped jail a burglar for over two years. Joseph Clarke injured his hand while breaking into a Sittingbourne home in May 2019 and, unbeknownst to him, left a blood stain at the scene before leaving with cash and a games console. The 46-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 12 July to 28 months imprisonment. The court heard that Clarke targeted the home, in Fern Walk, on the morning of Wednesday 29 May. The victims left the property to attend church at around 9.30am and when they returned, around three hours later, they found that one of their rear windows had been smashed. They went on to find a handheld games console and a small quantity of cash had been taken from their property. Crime Scene Investigators went on to find a blood stain on the victims’ kitchen cupboard and a DNA analysis provided a match for the offender – who is not known to either victim and had no lawful reason to be within the address. Detective Constable Richard Sears, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: ‘Burglary is a deeply intrusive offence and Joseph Clarke caused the victims a significant amount of distress. ‘His decision to cause a large amount of damage to their home, so that he could steal items of relatively low value, shows him to be a callous offender and I am pleased we have secured justice for the victims.’