Lost tooth links man to Castle Bromwich burglary

A BURGLAR who bit a man's hand during a break-in has been jailed, after one of his teeth broke off and was used by police to link him to the crime

Lee Francis, 39, had been rummaging around the house, in Manor Park Road, Castle Bromwich, when the owner returned.

The 66-year-old had bravely tackled the burglar, who had bitten the pensioner so hard that he had fractured the man's finger.
The two men ended up grappling on the kitchen floor, with the homeowner's mother striking the defendant with a walking stick. The 93-year-old was also assaulted in the struggle.
Eventually Francis (pictured, right) broke free and fled with property worth around £2,000.
On July 18 this year, almost two months after the burglary, the victims were baffled when they found a tooth in their washing machine.
The incisor - which had been dislodged in the scuffle and is thought to have fallen into an upended washing basket - was handed to detectives who carried out tests and found a DNA match with Francis.
He was arrested and later charged with burglary, assault and drugs production, after a small cannabis factory was uncovered in the loft of his home in Timberley Lane, Shard End.
Appearing at Birmingham Crown Court earlier this month, the defendant admitted the offences and was jailed for six years and four months.
DCI Anthony Tagg, from Solihull Police, said that the tooth had been the key piece of evidence which had enabled officers to put the burglar behind bars.
"It [had] stayed undetected for several weeks until the residents heard it rattling around in the washing machine. Initially it was unclear if it was a human or animal tooth…but when it was ground down and analysed by forensics it identified Francis as the former owner.
"This was a really nasty incident: the man described hearing a crunch when Francis bit his finger and suffered a fracture and tendon damage."