JAILED: Career criminals caught by DNA from clothing left at crime scenes
Two career criminals with over 100 previous convictions have been jailed after DNA from clothing left at the scene of burglaries proved their guilt.
Paul Gallagher carelessly left a glove near to the scene of a house he broke into on Christopher Road, Halesowen in August 2014.
While Dennis Steenson, in a rush to escape, left the balaclava he wore to break in to a property at Rednall Road, West Heath in June last year, on a window sill.
Gallagher was also found guilty for a further burglary in Meriden, and the pair were also convicted of handling stolen goods after a Peugeot and a Ford Focus were taken in burglaries on Trostrey Road, Kings Norton and Wynds Point, Northfield.
Paul Gallagher, 39 of Hayes Croft, Birmingham, was jailed for three-and-a-half years and Dennis Steenson , 38, of no fixed address, for three years and nine months, after they were found guilty at Stafford Crown Court for a string of burglaries.
Throughout the trial the pair claimed theywere innocent, but the damning evidence of DNA and CCTV showing Steenson using credit cards stolen from a previous burglary sealed their fate.
Detective Constable Nick Betts, from the Force's Priorities Team, said: "Gallagher is a prolific burglar who has been arrested or charged with 115 offences since 1989. He was identified in June as involved in these burglaries, he progressed to committing more offences with Steenson and the pair proved very elusive.
"Following intelligence and a possible location for Gallagher, teams of officers surrounded an address and secured his arrest. And a police officer on routine patrol spotted Steenson following an appeal for information.
"This along with the forensic and CCTV evidence helped secure their conviction ensuring that two prolific burglars are now off the street."
