Houghton man wanted in connection with string of take-away burglaries across the North

Martin Joseph Brown is suspected of break-ins at takeaways across the North East and Yorkshire.

Northumbria Police have today, Friday, October 2, released an image after the burglaries in Newcastle, Whitley Bay, Cramlington, Durham and York.

Officers are currently investigating seven offences where takeaways have been targeted across the region in recent weeks.

They are all similar in nature and police are keeping an open mind as to whether they could be linked.

Enquiries will continue but now officers have released a picture of Brown, 57, who they want to speak as part of their investigation.

Brown, who is from Houghton, is described as white, around 6ft 1in tall, of average build and with very short, receding hair.

Investigating officer at Northumbria Police, PC Victoria Karaniauskaite, has also called on takeaways to be vigilant and not leave cash in their premises overnight.

She said: “We have been carrying out extensive enquiries into a spate of break-ins at takeaways at a number of locations in our force area.

“Our enquiries have linked these incidents to burglaries in York and Durham and we suspect the same person is responsible.

“We believe Martin Brown could be responsible for some of these offences and so today we are appealing for the public’s help to track him down.

“He knows he is wanted but is believed to be avoiding police – we would urge you to stop looking over your shoulder and just hand yourself in.

“We also want to remind takeaways to be vigilant following this spate of incidents as some businesses have lost a substantial amount of money.

“Please don’t leave cash in the till overnight and, if you are leaving it in the premises, make sure it is in a secure location.”

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Martin Brown, or has information that could assist police, is being asked to contact officers immediately either online at the Northumbria Police website or by calling 101 quoting reference SRN 87306.

Information can be passed on anonymously by calling independent charity Crimestoppers ono 0800 555 111.

A message from the Editor:

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to the Sunderland Echo website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit here to sign up. You can subscribe to the newspaper with 20% off here. Thank you.