Wanted burglar used false name for seven years and lived in tent near Sainsbury's

A burglar who had been wanted by authorities for seven years was found living in a tent in woods and using a false name.

Lee Chapman, from Bury St Edmunds, had been wanted on prison recall since 2015, but escaped authorities' radar by living under a false identity.

The 44-year-old was responsible for four burglaries, two of which took place in the town last year.

He had burgled Nowton Park cafe overnight early last April, and Jimmy's Fish and Chip shop at Hardwick shopping centre overnight in late December.

Forensic tests on a rock and a paving slab used to smash through the windows of the businesses linked Chapman to the crimes.

But he was not found until officers received a tip-off in April about a man living in a tent in a wooded area near the Sainsbury's store.

It was then that officers confirmed his real name and charged him with the two burglaries.

Chapman pleaded guilty at Ipswich Magistrates' Court.

Two other burglaries were taken into consideration and he was jailed for four months in total.

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