A half-eaten banana left at the scene of crime led to the arrest of a Cardiff burglar.

Stephen Kingman, 48, was identified from DNA swabs taken from the banana which matched his profile held on the national database.

He was sentenced to 42 months in prison at Cardiff Crown Court for three counts of burglary, fraud, and interference with a motor vehicle.

• On January 5, 2022, a suspect was seen on video doorbell footage attempting to open a car door in Everswell Road, Fairwater. Through the use of facial recognition software, Stephen Kingman was identified as the suspect.

• On March 8, 2022,  bank cards stolen from a house in Vista Rise, Fairwater, were used at a nearby Premier Store. Officers recognised Kingman from CCTV which showed him using the stolen bank cards to buy bread, biscuits, an energy drink, and cigarettes.
  
• During the early hours of March 9, 2022, the occupant of a house in Vista Risa heard a noise coming from downstairs. He got up and heard someone make off out through the door. The burglar had gathered multiple items including watches, aftershave, a phone, and food and drink from kitchen, before being disturbed. Forensic analysis of a half-eaten banana found on the kitchen counter, identified Kingman as the suspect.

• He was also linked to a further burglary at Heol Seddon, Llandaff on September 12, 2022 whereby the occupant was woken in the middle of the night and found her kitchen window open and a number of household items including food and cleaning products missing. These items were subsequently discovered after detectives search an address linked to Kingman. The items were examined for fingerprints and were identified as being those of the defendants.   

Kingman was first arrested on March 19, 2022. Although initially denying all offences, he subsequently pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on January 12, 2023 and was sentenced on February 9, 2023.

Detective Constable Stephen Mayne, from South Wales Police, said: “South Wales Police will use all available technology, combined with traditional methods, to bring offenders to justice and will leave no stone unturned to identify those responsible.

“We recognise that being a victim of burglary is a traumatic experience and we hope this case demonstrates the efforts we go to during our investigations.”