Prolific burglar returns to jail after reoffending

A prolific burglar from Cheltenham has been sent back to prison after he was found to have reoffended within a month of being released.

Jason Potter, aged 31 and of Princess Elizabeth Way in the town appeared at Gloucester Crown Court last Tuesday (29 March) where he was sentenced to three years and four months for three burglaries.

Potter has a long history of burglary offences and was released from prison on 15 September last year (2021) only to be arrested just over a month later on 28 October.

Within this time frame police believe that he was responsible for 14 burglaries and he was subsequently charged with six counts of burglary.

He was remanded in custody before later pleading guilty to three of the burglaries. Four offences were also taken into consideration as part of the case.

The burglaries committed by Potter saw him steal a number of items including war medals, jewellery and pottery.

A breakthrough for the police came when a resident in Swindon Village found a bike leant against the fence of a relative’s house on Dark Lane and found it suspicious when a man, later determined to be Potter, returned to the bike with a rucksack full of items and stated he was doing deliveries.

The member of the public had the foresight to take a picture of this bike and days later an off duty officer saw Potter riding the same bike along Tennyson Road Potter was wearing the same distinctive outfit and became a suspect for the burglaries after it was found that a burglary had taken place.

The investigation was led by the Cheltenham Neighbourhood Policing Team and PC Brock said: "We were committed to bringing Potter to justice and seeing him convicted and sentenced so that the public would have some respite from his offending.

"I would like to thank all of his victims for their patience and resilience during this investigation and hope that this sentence will bring some closure for these terrible crimes."

Anyone with information on burglaries taking place within their area is asked to please report this to police by using the following online form: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/soh/seen-or-heard/

Alternatively you can speak to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

The bike that was spotted on Dark Lane in Swindon Village and Potter was later seen riding

A CCTV still from one of the burglaries