A man who was caught on camera as he attempted to carry out a distraction burglary in Camden has been jailed.

Peter Kerrigan, 33, from Queens Crescent, NW5, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Wednesday, 27 January for burglary and for escaping from lawful custody. He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to both offences.

In March 2015 Kerrigan absconded from a mental health facility in Homerton. He was serving a custodial sentence for burglary and had gone undetected for five years – despite a national manhunt to trace him.

On 17 March 2020 Kerrigan posed as a labourer working for the local council to enable him to gain entry to an elderly woman’s address in the NW3 area of Camden.

During the burglary the victim caught Mr Kerrigan in her bedroom looking through her purse, at which point Mr Kerrigan fled without stealing any of her property.

Fortunately, the victim, a woman in her late 80s, had a doorbell which filmed his arrival and entry into the address.

An investigation was launched by officers from the Met’s Central North Basic Command Unit (BCU). With an image of the suspect and forensic evidence left behind at the scene, detectives were able to identify Kerrigan.

On Thursday, 2 July 2020 Kerrigan was arrested in Camden after being identified by officers.

DC Stacey Whitaker who led the investigation said: “Distraction burglary is extremely upsetting and traumatic for those involved therefore it is only right that Kerrigan – who has a history of offending – has received this sentence. I’d like to thank the local community for providing vital information regarding the whereabouts of Kerrigan which led to his arrest.”