VILLAGERS who rallied together to bring two “career criminals” to justice have been publicly commended for their quick-thinking actions.

And the victim has praised the efforts of her neighbours who each played a part in catching the burglars.

Kathy Maxwell, 55, said: “I thought it was fantastic and showed a lot of neighbourhood support.”

The drama unfolded on May 20 this year when Simon Snuggs and Colin Roberts, both of Iffley Road, Oxford, decided to target Ms Maxwell’s home in the rural hamlet of Roke, near Wallingford.

Michael Roques, prosecuting at Oxford Crown Court, said while the owners were out, Snuggs forced open a side window to the house while Roberts waited in his red Vauxhall Corsa.

But before the pair even arrived at the house, their car had been spotted by Oxford Brookes University student Alex Crump, 21, and her mother Lorraine, because it was being driven “badly” in the middle of the road, said Mr Roques.

Ms Crump, 47, of Roke Farm, said: “I saw a car with two guys in looking dodgy and going really slowly and looking at the houses.

“I didn’t like the look of them – it seemed like they were up to no good.

“The adrenaline kicked in and I picked up a garden fork and just thought to myself ‘there’s no way they’re leaving’.”

Daughter Alex said she was pleased they had intervened, even adding that it was a “good way to get to know the neighbours” as they had only moved there three weeks before.

Mr Roques said the mother and daughter followed the burglars and challenged Snuggs when they saw him emerge from the house with stolen property.

Thinking on her feet Alex Crump snapped the car’s registration plate on her phone as Roberts escaped from the scene in his Corsa, leaving his partner behind still carrying the loot.

But Snuggs was then spotted by farmer Nigel Hicks, who alerted neighbours Jane Ellingworth and Andrew Pomeroy.

Ms Ellingworth, 40, said: “I drove after him with Andrew in my car and found him just outside Benson in a field. I trapped him against the fence, while Andrew talked to him and then called the police.

“The police arrived shortly afterwards and took over.

“It’s a close-knit community here where everyone looks after each other. If you’re not local, you stick out like a sore thumb.

“It showed that you can’t just drive into a little village and take what you want. This was a celebration of community spirit.”

On Thursday, Snuggs, 43, and Roberts, 31, were jailed for three years each.

Pc Katie Ford said: “The quick-thinking and positive reaction by the community in response to this burglary was very impressive and allowed for a successful apprehension of the offenders.”

All the property stolen, which included £200 of foreign currency and four bottles of Champagne, was all recovered. Ms Maxwell, who lives at the house with husband Calum, said she had thanked her neighbours with a hamper and card.

She added: “I have lived here for eight years and it’s a really nice place – I was really impressed by the neighbours’ help.

“I am pleased by the judgment.”

Graham Bennett, defending Snuggs, who has 33 convictions for 123 offences, said his client wanted a further 10 offences to be taken into consideration.

He said: “This defendant has a history of many, many years of drug addiction and struggling to break that habit.”

He said his client had recently relapsed and that so far the many prison sentences he had received had not deterred him from offending.

Lucy Tapper, defending Roberts, who has 13 convictions for 78 offences and asked for seven more offences to be taken into consideration, said he was also a drug addict.

Judge Gordon Risius said the actions of the two defendants “had a profound effect” on the owners of the house, but said he wanted to “commend publicly” the efforts of the neighbours to help bring the burglars to justice.