'Professional burglar' from Sandy jailed after stealing firearms, cash and jewellery worth £200k

A man dubbed a professional burglar by a judge after stealing firearms, cash and jewellery worth around £200k has been jailed for nearly 10 years.

Vinny Guess, 30, of Tempsford Road in Sandy was linked to seven burglaries, including one aggravated burglary, when a woman was threatened with a screwdriver.

Eight firearms were stolen during the spree, which took place in Blunham, Broom, Lower Caldecote, Langford, Dunton, and then Stevenage between November 2021 and February 2022, along with significant quantities of cash and jewellery.

Guess was found guilty following a trial at Luton Crown Court, and on Thursday (December 15) was sentenced to nine-and-a-half years in prison.

The aggravated burglary, which took place in January 2022, began with the victim hearing loud crashing sounds coming from the back garden while she was in her bedroom with her young child.

Two intruders wearing balaclavas forced their way into the house and came straight up the stairs. The first of the two burst into the bedroom, holding up a screwdriver and threatening the victim to stay quiet.

Loud banging noises could be heard from the hallway, and attempts were made to get the safe code before they were eventually able to free the safe and leave the scene.

Despite their best efforts to conceal their involvement by wearing balaclavas and spraying cleaning products to frustrate forensic evidence, detectives from the Op Maze team worked tirelessly to place the offenders at the scene of the crime through analysis of their mobile phone locations and piecing together CCTV footage to pinpoint their whereabouts.

Detective Constable Andy Boston, who led the investigation, said: “No one should feel unsafe in their own home, which is why we are committed to tackling offending and the harm it causes.

“The impact of burglary is not just financial – having someone enter your home without your permission can significantly affect sense of security and mental wellbeing.

“Guess is a prolific offender whose involvement in these crimes clearly shows he has no remorse for his actions or regard for his victims. I am glad he will be spending considerable time behind bars.”

When the judge delivered the sentence to Guess, he said: “You have not been driven to burglary through desperation in personal circumstances. You are someone who engaged in professional burglaries as a choice for your own reasons, as you had done previously.

“A number of the victims have suffered irremediable sentimental loss through jewellery that cannot be replaced. But most of all they have lost their feeling of being safe in their own home.

“You and your co-conspirators removed that sense of safety that everyone was entitled.”

Bedfordshire Victim Care Services provides a range of practical and emotional support for victims of all crimes, including burglary, and there is no restriction on how recently the crime occurred in order to use the service.

Call Bedfordshire Victim Care Services on 0800 0282 887 or visit bedfordshirevcs.com.

If you have been a victim or witness of a crime, report it online or call police on 101. If it’s an emergency or the crime is in progress, always call 999.