Man jailed for Hastings burglary after DNA found on milk carton

Officers were called to Cafe Royale in Castle Street in Hastings on September 7 following a break-in, with a till and tip box containing around £300 taken from inside.

Police viewed the cafe’s CCTV and saw a man entering the site with a carton of milk, which he put down while trying to remove the till. He then left the milk carton behind at the scene.

The bottle was forensically examined and proved a DNA match for Jake Finn, 22, from Dymchurch Road in Hythe, Kent.

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Finn was arrested and charged with burglary, as well as two counts of theft after alcohol was stolen from a supermarket in Peasmarsh three days after the incident in Hastings.

He was convicted of all three offences at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on October 8 and sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for the burglary and one week for each shoplifting offence, to run concurrently.

He was also ordered to pay £300 in compensation.

Finn left a carton of milk at the scene of the burglary (Image: Sussex Police)

Inspector Aidan Cornwall from the Hastings Neighbourhood Policing team said: “We understand the emotional and financial impact burglary has on individuals and businesses and we are committed to finding those responsible for committing such crimes.

“This is the second Hastings burglary conviction in as many weeks thanks to the fantastic work of our crime scene investigators, who will always follow up on opportunities for forensic evidence.

“In this case, the DNA our investigators found proved vital in identifying a suspect and securing a conviction at court.

“We continue to thoroughly investigate reports of residential and commercial burglary in our community and urge people to get in touch if they see or hear of any suspicious behaviour.”