A man who stole items worth thousands of pounds has been jailed after police linked him to the crime by a smear on the window.

Selwyn Daley, of Moray Road, Finsbury Park, was sentenced to two years and four months in jail after pleading guilty to burglary at Wood Green Crown Court.

He had taken electrical items and personal property to the value of £2,700 from a home in Muswell Hill after breaking in through a window using tools taken from the garden shed on January 31 this year.

Unfortunately for the police forensic team, no fingerprints were left – but one keen-eyed officer noticed a mark described as a “greasy smear” left on a window. It was enough to identify Daley, 53, using DNA.

At his home, police noticed a Canon camera lens that matched the one stolen in the burglary. Daley originally claimed it was “from a car boot”.

Det Con Glenn Smith, of Barnet crime squad, said: “This man is a persistent burglar who was caught due to excellent work by our forensic officers. This should send a warning to burglars who think their offences will remain undetected, our forensic examinations are becoming more sophisticated and armed with this evidence we will bring you to justice.”