Dr Dick Soper, 66, witnessed two men committing a burglary at a friend's house in Great Saxham and stopped a passing vehicle to ask the driver if he could borrow his phone to call the police.

Unbeknown to Dr Soper, he had stopped the burglars' getaway driver, who was waiting to pick up his two accomplices.

The men appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Wednesday and have been sentenced for 31 burglaries across Norfolk and Suffolk.

John Storey, 29, of Ely Street, Norwich, pleaded guilty to 25 offences and seven were taken into consideration.

He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

Matthew Erick Curtis, 26, of Branford Road, Norwich, admitted 15 offences and was jailed for three years.

Richard Woods, 51, of Bullard Road, Norwich, pleaded guilty to 21 offences and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Their crime spree was between last June and this February and the trio targeted properties in rural locations including Great Saxham.

Other homes were targeted in Hargrave, Denham, Lidgate, Gazeley and Wickhambrook.

Speaking after the case, Dr Soper told how he had spotted two men outside a friend's home on February 9 and went to investigate.

As he walked past the kitchen, he saw one of the men inside so went out to the road to flag down a car.

While speaking to the police on the driver's mobile, he saw one of the men looking at him from the bedroom window.

The men fled and the police launched a large search of the area.

One of the men was located in a stream at Ickworth House and another in Chevington.

Dr Soper later discovered he had been talking to their getaway driver.

When asked what he thought about their sentence, he said: "The point I would want to make is, is such a sentence a deterrent to prevent others from doing the same thing.

"If they are given three years, how long do they actually serve?

"It would be much more significant if the sentence that was handed down by the judge was served in full to the day."


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