A burglar who ransacked three homes in Broxtowe was brought to justice after his DNA was discovered on a discarded screwdriver.
Louis Denham, 29, was jailed for three-and-a-half years at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (12 January) after pleading guilty to three counts of burglary and two counts of handling stolen goods.
The investigation began after a break-in at a property on Cranwell Road on 24 August 2025. The occupants, who were on holiday at the time, became aware of the burglary after checking their home security camera app.
When officers attended, they found the back door had been smashed and the property had been untidily searched. A screwdriver recovered from the back garden was later forensically examined, with Denham’s DNA found on the tool.
Further enquiries linked Denham to two additional burglaries in the Broxtowe area.
On 2 April 2025, Denham targeted a home on Colchester Road, where he was seen entering and leaving the property by a neighbour. Items including a television, coffee maker, air fryer, jewellery and handbags were reported stolen.
The third burglary took place at an address on Alwyn Road on 21 November 2025. A games console, headphones and a computer were taken during the break-in.
Doorbell footage from one of the incidents helped officers identify Denham after a still image was circulated on police briefing systems. Following a series of raids, he was arrested in November 2025, with some stolen items recovered.
Detective Constable James Bravant, of Nottinghamshire Police, said all of the victims had experienced the distress of returning to homes that had been searched and violated.
“A number of police teams were involved in the efforts to investigate the series of break-ins and bring Denham to justice,” he said.
“These include crime scene investigators who ensured vital forensic evidence was secured, burglary team detectives who built a case against him, and neighbourhood officers who helped identify him and carried out the raids which led to his arrest.”
