A BURGLAR has been jailed after he was thwarted by an off-duty officer.

Jeffery Stoker picked the wrong day to attempt to burgle a property on Blyth’s Princess Louise Road.

Unfortunately for the 33-year-old, his attempt to gain access to the house on June 21 last year was spotted by a Northumbria Police officer when she drove past and spotted a suspicious-looking man trying the door handle.

Her suspicion aroused, she reversed her car and parked outside, making her way to the front door.

And on closer inspection, the officer recognised the man as frequent offender Jeffery Stoker.

Spooked by her presence, Stoker told her he knew the owner before walking off.

But when the owner returned and was asked if he did in fact know Stoker, he confirmed he had never seen him before.

Stoker, of Seventh Avenue, Blyth, has previously been convicted of six residential burglaries and was previously jailed in 2018.

Stoker was arrested on June 28 on suspicion of attempted burglary and last week he appeared before a judge at Newcastle Crown Court where he was sentenced to ten months behind bars.

Blyth neighbourhood Inspector Jonathan Caisley has praised the officer for her dedication and quick thinking.

He said: “Stoker is a prolific burglar who certainly got more than he bargained for that day.

“I want to praise the PC, who, despite being off duty, followed her gut when she saw something that didn’t look or feel right.

“Thanks to her Stoker was stopped in his tracks and the home owner was saved the devastation of having their home ransacked by a stranger.

“As a known offender, our PC was able to quickly identify Stoker and from there my team were able to launch an investigation and confirm he had been at the property, leading to a quick arrest and taking a prolific burglar off the streets.”

Anyone who sees anything suspicious in their community is asked to report it to police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101.

In an emergency or if a crime is happening, always ring 999.