A man has today been sentenced to four and a half year’s imprisonment after he admitted to committing 29 burglaries in South Oxhey, Watford and Rickmansworth.

Marvyn Mulvey, 37, and of no fixed address, was arrested on April 13 on suspicion of burglary and going equipped to steal after he was found at a pawn shop in Watford Town Centre attempting to sell a stolen TV.

His arrest followed a series of burglaries in South Oxhey which detectives were investigating.

Senior officers had put in place additional police resources in the area to prevent incidents and attempt to catch him.

Mulvey was initially charged with burglary in connection with the following incidents and was remanded into custody while awaiting trial – a burglary in Loates Lane in Watford on April 14 where a rear patio door was smashed and a laptop stolen from inside, and another burglary in Loates Lane on the same day where a rear patio door was smashes although no items were stolen from within.

He was also charged with going equipped to steal and escaping from lawful custody after he attempted to run off from officers at Watford Police Station after his arrest.

Believing that Mulvey was responsible for the offences in South Oxhey, detectives from the Watford Local Crime Unit visited him in prison on a number of occasions and, after building trust with officers, he admitted to the South Oxhey burglary series.

In addition to the offences he was charged with, Mulvey admitted to committing the following offences between 1 January and 9 April 2015 – 13 burglaries in South Oxhey, nine burglaries in Watford, three burglaries in Bushey and two burglaries in Rickmansworth.

Mulvey was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court today to four years for the burglaries and six months for escaping from lawful custody. He was also given a year for going equipped, which will run concurrently.

Chief Inspector for Three Rivers, Deirdre Dent said: “We know at the time there was much concern about the burglaries in South Oxhey, because they were so unusual for the area, which is why we responded to them by increasing the police presence through both overt and covert police resources. I hope residents can feel some reassurance from today’s sentencing that the man responsible for them is safely behind bars.”

Detective Sergeant Ian Siggery from the Watford Local Crime Unit added: “This was a real partnership effort with the Local Crime Unit in Watford and Three Rivers. As a result of visiting Mulvey and encouraging him to engage with police and admit to his offending, over and above the initial charges, we have been able to go back to the victims and offer them some reassurance that the person has been found. Sadly we have been unable to reunite them with their property, some of which included highly sentimental jewellery, but I hope this result goes some way to help them move on.”