Burglar caught red handed but tells police he's 'looking for building work'

Shocking footage (click to play above) caught the attempted break-in, and the moment Andrew Green, 52, tells police he's 'looking for building work'. Green was foiled when a homeowner received an alert from his Ring doorbell, and he watched the crook ‘trying his doorhandle’.

Footage also showed the man enter an outbuilding then using his sleeve to wipe the doorhandle after finding it locked. The video shows how police calmly asked Green, who had previous convictions for burglary, why he was knocking on doors. He replies that he is ‘looking for building work’.

He was arrested, charged with attempted burglary and appeared in court the following day where he was given court bail, but arrested again on 30 June after he was caught burgling another home in Eastfield.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “The victim returned to his house in College Park at about 1.30pm when he came across Green behind a bush next to the garage. Upon questioning him, the victim became suspicious and called police when Green became aggressive and threatened him.

“Again, video doorbell footage captured Green trying the front doorhandle of the home before entering the garage.”

Green, of no fixed address, was charged with a further count of attempted burglary with intent to steal, burglary with intent to steal and using threatening or abusive behaviour, all of which he admitted in court.

He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday (7 October) where he told the judge it was a “slip”, and not a return to his “old ways”.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete a 25-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR), and a six-month Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR).

Detective Sergeant Rich Ellison, from the force’s Acquisitive Crime Team, said: “Video doorbells can be a great tool in not only deterring criminals, but also helping us gather evidence.

“In these cases, the victims immediately dialled 999 and our response officers were able to catch Green in the act.”