Man charged as part of investigation into Hampshire crime series

A man has been charged as part of an investigation undertaken by multiple policing teams into a series of crimes in Hayling Island, Havant, Portsmouth, Fareham and Lyndhurst.

George James Balchin, 22, of Greywell Road in Havant has been charged with the following offences:

• Conspiring to commit burglary (dwelling) between Sunday 20 October and Tuesday 12 November.
• Theft of a motor vehicle on South Road, Hayling Island on Sunday 20 October, where a car was stolen and later found burnt out.
• Conspiring to commit burglary (non-dwelling) between Saturday 26 October and Tuesday 12 November.
• Conspiring to steal a motor vehicle between Sunday 20 October and Tuesday 12 November.
• Burglary in Southwood Road, Hayling Island on Tuesday 22 October, where a garage was broken into and property was stolen.
• Burglary in South Close, Havant between Tuesday 22 October and Thursday 24 October, where a garage was broken into and a motorcycle was stolen.
• Burglary at Coxlease School in Lyndhurst between 5 November and 6 November, where car keys and three vehicles where stolen.

Balchin has also been charged with sending offensive communications and stalking without fear/alarm/distress between Thursday 26 September and Sunday 3 November.

He has remanded in custody to appear today (Thursday 14 November) at Portsmouth Magistrates Court.

Enquiries remain ongoing into other incidents of burglary, theft of motor vehicles, theft from motor vehicles and vehicle interference between Tuesday 22 October and Wednesday 13 November, which occurred mostly in the Hayling Island area.