Burglar jailed after breaking man's jaw in raid on home
A violent burglar who broke a man's jaw as he raided a home has been jailed for more than six years after being linked to a face covering he dropped at the scene.
Christopher Miller attacked his victim on the driveway as the man in his 50s arrived home on November 29 last year.
Miller, aged 31, pointed a knife at the man's chest before kicking him to the ground, where he then repeatedly kicked the man's head.
As his victim lay on the floor, Miller barged open the front door of the Birmingham house and went inside with another man, threatening the man’s wife with the knife.
As two more men remained on the drive, Miller then searched the home in Kingstanding but left empty-handed.
As he ran from the house Miller kicked the man once more in the head, knocking him unconscious.
Officers who attended the scene spotted a face covering on the ground, which was seized for forensic analysis.
DNA profiling went on to identify Miller as the suspected burglar.
As enquiries continued to track down Miller, he was spotted by officers on patrol in an Audi A4 in Walsall, in early January this year, but he sped away, narrowly avoiding a crash.
Officers were deployed to the area around Collingwood Drive and during a search Miller was seen standing in the car park of a pub.
He was arrested and the keys to the Audi were found on the ground nearby by officers from the dog unit. The Audi, for which Miller is the insured driver, has yet to be located.
The victim of the robbery was treated at hospital for a broken jaw and has since been discharged to continue his recovery at home.
His wife, through extremely shaken by the incident, was not harmed.
Miller, of Collingwood Drive, Great Barr, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to six years and six months jail last Wednesday. He had earlier admitted aggravated burglary and dangerous driving.
Pc Andrew Gomersall from Force CID, said: "It is shocking that a man should suffer such violence at his own home and at the hands of a man who was looking to steal from him.
"We will always strive to bring those who carry out such crimes to justice and hope this jail term will bring some comfort to the man and his wife."
