Serial burglar jailed after rampaging through several Brighton businesses in huge crime spree

Jason Turner, 40, of The Crestway, Brighton, was found guilty of ten charges of burglary, two of theft and one of actual bodily harm on November 30 2023, Police said. The offences spanned from January 13 2023 to February 9, at 13 locations across the city.

Turner was originally charged with eight offences in February 2023, but forensics and CCTV confirmed his presence at another five scenes, for which he was also charged.

Police said his first crime took place at a travel agency in Western Road, in the early hours of January 12. He stole a TV, computers and a vacuum cleaner before effecting an escape. Forensic examination later revealed Turner’s fingerprints at the scene, linking him to the crime. Four days after the first burglary, Turner stole a mobile phone from a shop on Station Road, in Hove. When a member of staff confronted him, Turner headbutted the man, committing actual bodily harm.

Although he claimed to be the victim of the incident, police issued a warrant for his arrest following further enquiries and launched a search for his location, a spokesperson said.

On January 24, under the guise of needing to use the restroom, Turner entered a pub in York Place. the pub was about to close for the evening, and Turner took the opportunity to steal from the till. Caught in the act, he threatened a staff member who tried to stop him, saying “if you do, you’ll get hurt,” and made his escape.

The crime spree continued on the morning of January 26, when Turner stole a Bluetooth speaker and perfume from the staff room of a hotel in Marine Parade. Just an hour later, the alarm went off at another Marine Parade business. When police officers got there, they found the window had been smashed and the till completely removed, a spokesperson said.

A week later, in the early hours of February 2, Turner broke into a take away on Edwards Street, stealing the till and helping himself to cold drinks. Then, several hours after that, he forcefully entered the cellar hatch of a pub in Market Street and made off with some of its stock, Police said.

He struck twice more on February 4: CCTV cameras at a clothing store in Brighton square caught Turner breaking in, stealing items and money from the premises. At around 4am, he entered a hotel in Kings Road and waited for the receptionist to leave her desk. When she did, he seized the opportunity to steal two hotel laptop’s and the receptionist’s personal backpack. The day afterwards, Police said he entered the office of a student accommodation building in Hollingdean Road, and stole a large quantity of valuables and electronics.

Although he was arrested on February 6 on suspicion of the above burglaries, count of actual bodily harm, another of theft, and for failing to appear at court, he was released on bail and struck again on February 8.

That evening, he broke a restaurant window in Gloucester Street and was seen by a member of the public as he reached into the window. A police spokesperson said he was later found to have taken money from the till.

On February 9, at around five am, he tried to enter a shop in Kensington Gardens, causing significant damage to the doors.

The beginning of the end for Turner came when he threatened a Taxi driver with a knife near Volks Railway, after the driver asked for payment. Police reported that Turner told the driver “If you don’t want me to cut you open then just go.” The driver called the police, and Turner was apprehended at the scene. He was taken into custody under suspicion of possession of a knife.

While awaiting his court date, Police said Turner was linked to a further five charges as further research placed him at the scene of each crime in turn, bringing his final tally of charges to 14.

Detective Constable James Botting said Turner was a “prolific” burglar, determined to follow “a path of criminality,”:"He has targeted addresses throughout the city without a thought about the impact he causes or the lasting trauma these crimes cause his victims. As well as individual victims, many businesses, the majority of them small, will have suffered greatly due to Turner’s choices.“We have made the streets a safer place, removing an individual whose only motive was to steal without thought of the repercussions. This was an incredibly complex series of crimes, with multiple investigations taking place at the same time, all leading towards Turner being the culprit.“With 13 locations, and 14 offences, huge levels of resourcing were required to thoroughly investigate and tie together the crimes. Not only was there an incredible amount of teamwork seen from departments within Sussex Police, but from the public who played a key role in providing useful information to support the numerous investigations.“Turner managed to evade capture during early arrest attempts, but after persistent police action, he was remanded and prevented from further offending, leading to a sentence of 40 months for his involvement in this series of criminal activity.”