Man Jailed Over Burglaries in Bearsted and Larkfield Five Days Apart

A 41-year-old man from Stanstead Road in London has been jailed for two years and four months after admitting two burglaries in West Kent, five days apart - one at an occupied family home in Bearsted, the other at a house in Larkfield that had recently been vacated by an elderly woman.

The first burglary happened at around 1pm on Thursday 16 July, when the man broke into a family home on The Landway in Bearsted and spent around 40 minutes inside before leaving with cash, watches and jewellery. He fled in a car that officers later identified - and in the course of the investigation, detectives found he'd taken out an insurance policy on that vehicle valid for one day only: the same day as the burglary. Mobile phone records also placed his device in the area at the time.

Five days earlier, on the morning of Saturday 11 July, the rear patio door of a house on Lunsford Lane in Larkfield was found smashed, glass scattered across the floor. The house belonged to an elderly woman who had recently moved out and was being looked after by family and friends in her absence. Alcohol and jewellery were stolen, and blood found on a curtain near the broken door was later forensically matched to the same man.

He was arrested on Thursday 27 August and charged in connection with both offences. He admitted the charges and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 30 October to two years and four months in custody.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Celia King said: "[He] pretended to be shocked and confused when he was arrested for these crimes, however he admitted his actions following the strength of our evidence, which included forensically linking him to one of the burglaries. I hope this outcome serves as a deterrent to others." Source: Kent Police