A woman who woke to find her handbag and car keys missing took matters into her own hands and tracked down the thief using an Apple AirTag.
Following the tracker, she arrived at the Premier Inn on Hartlepool’s Marina. The signal led her to a man standing in a doorway, showing him as being in very close proximity to her car keys. She then confronted him, saying: “You have my car keys!”
Teesside Crown Court heard the man, identified as Dylan Balmer, 28, initially claimed to have found the keys. However, Prosecutor Shaun Dryden said when the woman insisted on seeing where he had discovered them, Balmer’s mother suddenly appeared on the scene, stating her son “does not normally do things like this.”
The woman contacted the police, leading to Balmer’s arrest later that morning. During the subsequent investigation, CCTV footage revealed Balmer entering the woman’s house on Mayflower Close, just minutes away from the Premier Inn where he was staying.
The footage captured him attempting to open French doors before gaining access through an unlocked back door.
Mr Dryden said: “He was inside for 60 seconds. Before he comes out holding a brown handbag and a white bag at 6.15am on March 26. When the lady who lives in the house woke up, she found her bag and car keys were gone from the kitchen table.
“Her car was outside. There was an Apple AirTag attached to her car keys.”
Balmer, a resident of Sydenham Drive in Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to burglary. His criminal record includes 16 previous convictions for 28 offences, including burglaries in 2012, 2013, and 2019.
During the court proceedings, Stephen Constantine, Balmer’s defence counsel, explained that his client had checked into the Premier Inn after a falling out with his partner.
Mr Constantine highlighted Balmer claimed to have no recollection of his actions, attributing it to the consumption of Xanax tablets as a coping mechanism following the death of his brother and two other bereavements.
Mr Constantine further said: “He has absolutely no recollection of what he did.
He added: “It’s clear that Balmer left the Premier Inn in the early hours of the morning, entered the house, and then returned to the Premier Inn. He’s disappointed in his behavior and remorseful towards the family whose house he entered.”
In mitigation, Mr Constantine said Balmer is the registered carer for his mother and lives in close proximity to his partner and their three children.
He said: “He’s now free of cannabis and doesn’t rely on Xanex. He’s been in custody for three-and-a-half months since he was arrested; he’s away from a number of people who need him.”
Judge Jonathan Carroll addressed Balmer, emphasising the impact of his actions on the victim. He said: “The lady was at home alone, asleep. She is entitled to feel safe and protected in her own home. This is not just an offence against a property, it’s as much an offence against a person. It can be deeply unsettling.”
As a result, Balmer received a 15-month prison sentence, of which he will serve half before becoming eligible for release on license.
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