Man jailed for Test Valley burglary

A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for a burglary in Sherfield English earlier this year. 

Mark Stephen Brady, 29, of Laundry Road in Southampton, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court yesterday, 18 November, after a two day trial.

The court heard how on 8 June 2021 Brady forced entry to a property on Graemar Lane by smashing the rear patio doors with a rock found in the garden. He had also disabled the outside alarm.

Once inside the property, Brady conducted an untidy search and stole jewellery, watches, and cash.

The court also heard how Brady was caught after his DNA was identified on one of the rocks used to gain entry to the address.

He has now been sentenced to four years in jail.

Following the sentencing, the Officer in Case, PSI Sarah Stewart from Hampshire Constabulary’s Western Operation Hawk team, said: “I welcome this sentence and hope it goes some way to provide closure to the victim.

“The distress that crimes like this can cause victims immeasurable. We hope that this provides reassurance to local communities that we take these crimes very seriously, and will investigate all available lines of enquiry to identify offenders and bring them to justice.”