A man who committed burglaries in South Cumbria in December 2025 has been jailed.
Craig Butterworth, 53, of Fern Isle Close, Rochdale was sentenced to four years in prison today (28 May) after pleading guilty to four counts of burglary.
Butterworth admitted breaking into four homes in the Grange-over-sands and Allithwaite areas between 3-9 December 2025, while the occupants were away from their addresses.
Despite the properties being locked and secured, Butterworth broke in, forcing doors and smashing windows to gain entry to the property.
Butterworth stole jewellery and cash from one of the addresses and even used cleaning products to eliminate traces of himself during one of the break ins.
However, officers were able to place Butterworth at the scene of one of the addresses by obtaining a DNA swab.
The offences were investigated by Westmorland and Furness’s Community and Serious Organised Crime (CSOC) unit as part of Operation Themis - Cumbria Constabulary’s response to and focus on burglaries.
Detective Constable Ewan Breeze said: “As a force we recognise having your home broken into can be incredibly traumatic and there is no doubt Butterworth’s actions will have had a substantial impact on the victims involved in this case.
“We do not tolerate offences of this nature and encourage victims of burglary to report it to police so we can continue to pursue dangerous offenders, like we have in today’s case.
"We remain committed to working with communities to bring offenders to justice under Operation Themis.”