A burglar has been jailed for two-and-a half years for two home burglaries, three shed burglaries and eight thefts from motor vehicles in Lowestoft.

Toby Mulholland was arrested by Lowestoft police after a fingerprint hit linked him to a burglary at Winnipeg Road that happened overnight 22-23 July.

A mobile phone and laptop computer were stolen in the incident.

He was arrested on July 31, interviewed and charged with the burglary the same day.

He was remanded into custody after appearing at court on August 1 and was then produced from prison by officers to be interviewed by Suffolk Police's Operation Converter team.

In interviews with the team he went on to admit a further 12 offences, including a burglary at a home in Rumburgh Road on Sunday 5 February this year, three shed burglary incidents at Greenacre Crescent, Princes Road and Edinburgh Road and eight thefts from vehicles in central Lowestoft between May and July this year.

Mulholland, 27, formerly of Park Road, Lowestoft, was jailed for two and a half years at Ipswich Crown Court this afternoon.

After the hearing Det Insp Darrell Skuse, of Suffolk Police, said; 'We hope this result will give Mulholland's victims some peace of mind.

The Operation Converter team work with offenders to encourage them to admit their crimes that are then taken into consideration at sentencing, building on the work of the officers and detectives who initially investigate incidents to get justice for other victims of crime.

'Without this work we would not have been be able to tell 12 individuals that we have traced an offender for a crime that may have caused a significant amount of distress and inconvenience at the time.

'This also gives offenders a chance to clear their slate so they can have a fresh start when they are released – in the knowledge that if they commit further crime they may face a harsher sentence.'