Lots of people committed crimes and were jailed this month and are now spending time behind bars.

Here are just some of the criminals including burglars, dangerous drivers, drug smugglers, fraudsters, rapists, sex offenders and thugs who committed crimes and were locked up in April.

Michael Wheaton

A fuel company boss who played a "leading role" in directing and organising the sale of a commercial quantity of cocaine was jailed - as his family branded his punishment "a joke".

Dad of three Michael Wheaton, who has twice previously been locked up for his involvement in illicit drugs, also appeared stunned by his sentence, shaking his head as he sat in the dock at Canterbury Crown Court.

The 41-year-old, of London Road, Ditton, had denied conspiracy to supply cocaine but was convicted by a jury following a trial when the court heard he was linked to the illegal operation after a drugs courier was stopped by police on the M20 near Ashford as long ago as January 21, 2019.

Cocaine weighing 1.5kg in total was found which, when divided into two amounts of 70% and 40% purity, had a potential street value of about £100k, but having been urged by Wheaton's barrister to reflect the five-year-delay in legal proceedings reaching a conclusion in any jail term imposed, the judge told the crook he could have achieved a substantial reduction simply by admitting his guilt "straightaway".

Wheaton, who ran a diesel supply business, was arrested after police downloaded data from the courier's phone and saw it had been in frequent contact with a pay-as-you-go phone.

Without subscriber details, Kent Police carried out an extensive investigation and, using cell-site data and ANPR cameras, were able to identify what was described as the "common denominator" Wheaton, who later admitted the phone was his but said he shared it with others, but it also revealed contact with a third man yet to face trial.

Wheaton had been previously jailed in 2014 for 28 months for his involvement in a cannabis smuggling operation and in 2011 was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment for possessing cocaine with intent to supply, but his barrister, Kevin Walsh, told the court that the married, family man had since turned his life around and, as well as running a successful business was also carer to his cancer-stricken father.

He also pointed out that the delay had not been the fault of his client but resulted from the poor health of the co-defendant yet to be tried, as well as the pandemic and the barristers' strike, but jailing Wheaton for 11 years amid gasps from the public gallery, Recorder Paul Taylor KC said the evidence showed he was a director and organiser of this drugs operation and among the several people who were at court to support him, one woman was heard to remark "What a joke" before leaving the courtroom.

Mayowa Christopher

A member of a “sophisticated” criminal gang who tricked victims into paying cash into the wrong bank accounts was jailed.

Mayowa Christopher, part of the group with links to Thanet, gained access to people’s finances by pretending to work for their bank or legitimate businesses to which they owed money.

But detectives were able to link the 30-year-old to multiple offences, including one in July 2019 in which a woman received a call from someone claiming to work for her bank and he gained her trust by demonstrating knowledge of her direct debits and standing orders.

He even sent convincing emails containing supposed one-time passwords and this led to £4,200 being stolen from her account, with Christopher sending a text to his associate shortly beforehand instructing him to ‘hurry up’ as she was calling her bank.

He was also linked to two other victims who lost a total of £7,369, with photos and videos of Christopher’s computer being used to log into their bank accounts and being shared with his associate.

He was sent in return images of bank cards that were being used to launder money.

Christopher, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to conspiring to acquire criminal property and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.

He received 16 months’ imprisonment for the Kent offences and a further three years and eight months for several other cases investigated by the City of London Police.

Xhojs Bilali

A drug dealer on his way to sell to users had 27 bags of cocaine hidden in his Volvo when police stopped him.

Xhojs Bilali was heading to Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, in his S40 series on May 23 last year intending to sell class A drugs to local users.

However, the 27-year-old was stopped and searched by police in Victoria Road after he raised their suspicions.

Officers found 27 cocaine deals in a drawstring bag, as well as £70 in cash and a mobile phone.

Bilali, of no fixed address, was later charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply and being in possession of criminal property, namely the seized cash, which he admitted at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was jailed for two years and four months.

Det Sgt Lucy Gentry, of West Kent CID, said: "This dealer had a significant number of cocaine deals that he no doubt hoped to sell for a considerable profit whilst in Tunbridge Wells.

"Our local patrols are deployed in marked and unmarked vehicles and they are quick to spot anyone who is acting suspiciously, as Bilali found to his cost.”

Jimmy Lee

A violent criminal who held a knife to a delivery driver’s throat was jailed.

Jimmy Lee approached a supermarket vehicle in London Road, Gravesend, on November 9.

Appearing intoxicated, he got in the vehicle via the passenger door, demanded a lift, and grew aggressive when this was dismissed - taking out a knife and holding it to the driver’s throat.

Fearing for his safety, the supermarket worker drove slowly towards the town centre during which time Lee punched him in the head and stole his wallet and gloves.

The victim then spotted a vehicle containing paramedics and managed to exit the van and seek assistance while Lee was distracted.

The attacker then got out of the vehicle holding the driver’s rucksack and coat but was soon detained by police who had arrived at the scene.

Lee, of York Road, Northfleet, later pleaded guilty to kidnap at Woolwich Crown Court.

The 36-year-old was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

To see who was locked up in March, click here.

Alex Underwood

A drug dealer who sent thousands of messages to 150 contacts was jailed.

Alex Underwood, from Tunbridge Wells, admitted distributing cocaine and cannabis across west Kent when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court.

The 29-year-old had been stopped by police on Tuesday, March 5 when he was walking to his VW Passat car in Leigh near Tonbridge and told officers they would find a “couple of bits and bobs’” but a search led to the seizure of a stab vest, scales and multiple deal bags.

Also found in the car were two mobile handsets which matched to active supply lines and one of the phones had been used to send 9,296 messages to more than 150 different contacts, between the end of September last year and early January.

Underwood, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs, namely cocaine and cannabis and he also admitted a further offence of possessing cannabis when he appeared in the dock.

Officers dismantled the drug dealer's network after intelligence linked him to evidence of extensive criminal activity, between last September and March.

Underwood was given a three-year jail term.

Lewis Guess

A burglar who went on the run after jumping from the dock in court was arrested alongside two others accused of aiding his escape.

Lewis Guess had been warned when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court that jail awaited him.

But as Judge Simon Taylor KC began to pass sentence, the 26-year-old, from Broadstairs, complained of feeling ill as he sat in the dock and then asked for a drink of water and, having distracted the dock officer, jumped over the dock and bolted out the courtroom door.

During the melee at court, Guess, of Chandos Square, who had been on bail ahead of the hearing, knocked a jug of water over a Crown Prosecution Service representative and then a most wanted appeal was launched by police, with people urged to call 999 if they saw him.

Then a few days later, officers confirmed they had arrested him after he was found at a house in Herne Bay and he was later charged with escaping from lawful custody and possession of cannabis.

He then appeared at a hearing at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court where he was remanded in custody and two further people who were also charged with assisting the burglar.

Matthew Guess, 45, also of Chandos Square, is alleged to have purchased a SIM card as well as arranged transportation, food and housing and Billy Barfoot, 38, of Reculver Road, Herne Bay, is alleged to have transported and housed the defendant.

Both men have been released on bail to attend Folkestone Magistrates’ Court, but despite the burglar’s unexpected disappearance, Judge Taylor sentenced him in his absence to 15 months' imprisonment and he is yet to be dealt with for the alleged escape from lawful custody incident.

Cameron Willmore

A dad was jailed after he "shattered" the lives of a young couple while "showing off" at speed in his BMW.

Cameron Willmore was told by a judge that only immediate custody was appropriate for his "wholly reckless" driving on December 10, 2021, which left Joel Felix and his fiancee Leanne Dobson with multiple injuries.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the couple were walking their dog on the pavement in Station Road, Otford, near Sevenoaks, at about 8.30pm when Willmore's "recently-acquired" 3 Series Coupe ploughed into them and just seconds earlier the pair had seen the vehicle travelling at an estimated 80mph and heard the screeching of tyres.

Other pedestrians were forced to move out of the way as Willmore, then aged 22, lost control and struck a telegraph pole before rebounding off and sliding into the dog walkers and Mr Felix later recalled the vehicle "crumpling" on impact with him and seeing Ms Dobson as she was also hit and knocked unconscious.

The couple spent several days in hospital with injuries that included fractures to ribs, spine vertebrae and foot bones, a punctured and collapsed lung and a torn liver.

Willmore, of Edgar Road, Kemsing, confessed at the scene that he had "put his foot down" and his front passenger also told police he had asked his friend to slow down because he was driving too fast.

The court also heard the road was subject to a 30mph limit, reducing to 20mph in parts and the father-of-two, now 25, pleaded guilty to two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Willmore, who has no previous convictions, cautions or reprimands, was said to "massively regret" his actions and had "self-punished" and "self-disqualified" by not driving since and was jailed for two-and-a-half years and banned from driving for four years and three months, and will have to take an extended test to regain his licence.

Bernard High

A pensioner whose sexual abuse left his victims' lives "ripped apart" and "broken" was jailed for 16 years.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the two boys were both under 13 when Bernard High, from Rochester, first subjected them to his depravity, which included what were termed "sex games".

At High's sentencing hearing, they bravely detailed the profound impact the abuse had had on them well into adulthood and one said that he still suffered nightmares more than 30 years after the offences were committed.

He also said he had always felt that he “was not man enough” and had found it difficult to speak to adult males, the court heard and the abuse had affected not only him but other members of his family when they eventually found out.

The second victim said his childhood “had been ripped apart” and had been carrying around the “horrible, dirty secret” his whole life had left him “a broken man", he explained in his victim personal statement and he also said he suffered from anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and had still not been able to tell relatives of his ordeal.

High, of Jenner Road, was found guilty after a seven-day trial of 16 child sexual offences dating back to the late 1980s and Judge Philip Statman remarked that the 67-year-old had shown “not a crumb of remorse” and was continuing to deny that the abuse ever happened.

But he added that while such offences now carried tougher punishments, he was constrained to sentencing High according to the law at the time they were committed.

High was told he will have to serve at least two-thirds of his jail term before he can be considered for release, and will be subject to life-long sex offender notification requirements.

Brian Royce

A rapist was jailed for 10 years for crimes dating back six years.

Brian Royce denied committing rape and sexual assault between April and May 2018 but was found guilty after a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

The jury heard how the victim came forward a month after being attacked - telling a friend who then encouraged her to report it to police.

Royce, of Dock Road, Chatham, was arrested and later charged.

The 54-year-old was found guilty and handed the decade-long sentence and his crimes had been investigated by detectives Steve Gibbons and Rachel Ford, of Kent Police's rape investigation team.

PC Steve Hammond, who works as part of a team dedicated to the investigation of serious sexual offences, said: “The victim’s courage in coming forward to report her attacker and then give evidence at court is commendable.

“Her assistance to the investigation team was crucial and ensured they recovered sufficient evidence to bring this appalling individual to justice.

“His prison sentence ensures he will not be a danger to women for some years.”

Sunny Coster

A man celebrating his birthday was knocked unconscious and left with a brain injury when he was viciously attacked by a yob wielding two half-pint beer glasses.

Wayne Birkby was struck as many as 12 times in rapid succession to the head, face and neck by Sunny Coster at the Station House pub in Tonbridge.

Shocking CCTV captured the armed 21-year-old creeping up behind Mr Birkby and lashing out without warning or any provocation, leaving him bleeding and slumped motionless on the floor and his injuries included broken teeth, a fractured rib, a 2-3cm hole in his lip, a black eye and sight problems, and a bleed on the brain.

But although he remembered nothing of Coster's mindless thuggery, Maidstone Crown Court heard that a DJ working in the pub saw him hitting out "with such ferocity" that he thought the victim would be killed after violence flared following a minor confrontation between Mr Birkby and Coster's brother, Judd, inside the Barden Road venue.

Sunny Coster - who had been sitting in the beer garden - grabbed the two glasses from a table and, with one in each hand, went inside and carried out his "cowardly and appalling" attack and at the time of the assault in December 2022, the Tonbridge resident had already racked up six convictions for eight offences of violence and was subject to a suspended sentence.

He also fled the pub and was not arrested by police for almost three months but Coster, now 23 and of Scott Road, later admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Jailing him for four years and nine months, Judge Barnes told him that while she had taken his age and immaturity into account, it was "now time to change" his entrenched behaviour and he would have to serve two-thirds of his sentence before his release.

He also admitted breach of his suspended sentence order imposed for offences of battery and criminal damage, and was given 10 days' imprisonment to be served concurrently.

Grant Jeffery

A violent and abusive man was jailed after his partner feared for her life and became so ill she had to be admitted to hospital.

Grant Jeffery, from Tonbridge, controlled what the victim could wear and demanded she wore loose clothing at all times.

She was not allowed to contact friends or family and he kept the curtains and blinds shut to prevent her from seeing anyone outside and she feared she would be harmed if she did not follow Jeffery’s demands.

She lost weight and became so ill she was admitted to hospital in September last year and while undergoing treatment, Jeffery visited and called her on many occasions and required her phone to remain on a video call so he could observe her at all times.

He also assaulted the victim while at the hospital and on September 21 police arrested him at a bus stop outside the building.

The 33-year-old was charged and later pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to coercive and controlling behaviour.

Jeffery was sentenced to three years and one month’s imprisonment.

He will also be subject to a 10-year restraining order.

Leonard Wilson and Frank Smith

The furious father of a teenage girl raped in a park by two men says their “joke” prison sentence has further punished his family.

Leonard Wilson and Frank Smith, both 24, subjected their victim to a horrific sexual attack in a Cranbrook park in 2018.

In a case plagued with delays, a Maidstone Crown Court judge handed Smith, of Bethersden, three years and nine months behind bars.

Wilson, of High Halden, was locked up for three years and six months at the same court when Judge Julian Smith cited the young ages of Smith, who was 18, and Wilson who was 17 at the time of the attack, as a reason for reduced sentences.

But the victim’s father, who must remain anonymous, told KentOnline he feels the justice system has let down his family and he said: “I think it’s an absolutely disgustingly low sentence, an absolute joke.”

Both men denied rape but were convicted following a trial last July, where jurors heard the disturbing facts of the case and Smith, of Pluckley Road, was cleared of a second count of rape, alongside an allegation of sexual assault.

Wilson, of Plurenden Road, was cleared of two counts of possessing indecent images of a child, and three counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

At their sentencing hearing Judge Smith said the delay of five years and eight months since the crime - during which time two trials fell through, has had an impact on everyone involved.

Leon Walmsley

A “dangerous” man who subjected a woman to a degrading and humiliating sexual assault was locked up for 15 years.

Leon Walmsley carried out the attack within just a few months of his release from prison in August 2022, with a judge telling the 25-year-old he was “disturbed” by the escalation in his offending.

His victim suffered multiple bruises to her head and body, as well as severe psychological harm, Canterbury Crown Court was told.

Walmsley, of Hertford Place, Ramsgate, admitted a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm but denied assault by penetration, only to be convicted by a jury.

The court heard that having struck his victim repeatedly with an item, causing it to break, he then used it to sexually assault her and at his sentencing hearing, a victim impact statement described how the woman had been left "terrified and paranoid" by her ordeal.

Jailing Walmsley, Recorder David Elvin KC told him he was considered a "dangerous" offender in law and would have to serve at least two-thirds of his prison term before being considered for release.

Once freed, he will then have a further three years added to any licence period.

On his release from prison, Walmsley will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements.

Darren Turpin

A violent and prolific offender assaulted medical staff and then threw hot coffee in a police officer’s face.

Darren Turpin punched and shattered the glass screen in the reception of Brewer Street Surgery, in Maidstone, on April 8, causing cuts to an employee’s hand and face.

He fled but was tracked down and arrested in the town centre and while in custody, Turpin threw food and drinks in a cell and consultation area and, the following day, threw a cup of coffee in an officer’s face during an interview.

The 55-year-old, of no fixed address, was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, assault of an emergency worker and four counts of criminal damage.

He appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court a few days later , where he pleaded guilty to all the charges and an additional indictment of breaching a criminal behaviour order and he was jailed for 42 weeks.

District commander for Maidstone, Chief Insp Mark McLellan, said: “When Turpin caused a disturbance at a local surgery and assaulted one of the staff, he was subject to a criminal behaviour order requiring him not to use abusive or threatening language or behaviour in a public place.

“It is apparent he clearly has no respect for the law and his behaviour was offensive, intimidating and entirely unacceptable.

“This is a repeat offender with a lengthy history of criminal convictions and whose conduct at the police station was equally disgraceful, assaulting one of my officers in a manner that could easily have resulted in a permanent injury.”

Kelly Duncan

A woman wished her ex-boyfriend a happy birthday just hours before unleashing a violent knife attack on him outside his parents’ home.

Kelly Duncan was said to have "led the charge" as she and three men carried out their assault on her former partner, Steve Woods, in Whitstable.

The 55-year-old repeatedly slashed at him with what was described as a bread or carving knife - with one "very clear" blow aimed at his chest - and also threatened his elderly mother.

Judge Simon Taylor KC, said that notwithstanding her regret, remorse and self-rehabilitation, the impact on Mr Woods and the "depletion of his parents' sanctity" in their home could not be ignored.

Imposing a prison sentence of 25 months, he told Duncan: "You had a highly dangerous weapon, you used it a number of times and played a leading role.

"It may not have been your idea but you were leading the charge during the assault.

Driss Hasska and Tarik Slimani

Two men were jailed after pleading guilty to smuggling migrants in the back of a lorry.

Tarik Slimani, 47, from north London, and Driss Hasska, 54, from Italy, met at a service station in Maidstone on August 4 last year.

The pair attempted to move migrants from Slimani’s hire van into the trailer of Hasska’s lorry, before heading for mainland Europe, they were being followed by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers who searched the trailer of Hasska’s lorry and discovered eight men and a woman inside.

The men were trying to smuggle the migrants, all of North African origin, from the UK to France and it is suspected they were being taken across the Channel to avoid border immigration controls.

Both men were arrested and taken into custody after Slimani pulled into the services later the same evening and claimed he was driving to Ashford to collect a coffee table when he stopped at the bus stop alongside the lorry to go to the toilet.

He added by the time he returned to his van he couldn’t remember where he was going, so began driving home before stopping at the services to go to the toilet again.

Meanwhile, in a prepared statement given to officers, Hasska claimed he had no knowledge of the migrants in his trailer, but both men later pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal entry into an EU country.

They appeared at Maidstone Crown Court for sentencing and Slimani was jailed for 22 months, while Hasska received a 32-month sentence.

Daniel Bale

A bungling thief was jailed after police found eyeholes cut out from a homemade balaclava used in a robbery.

Daniel Bale, 37, of Station Road, Maidstone, wore a mask made from a hat while stealing cash and cigarettes from a petrol station.

On May 8, 2022, Bale and his partner in crime, Karl Evans, put on the homemade balaclavas to rob a petrol station in Rugby, Warwickshire and Bale was seen on CCTV going into the shop and aggressively waving his arms at a member of staff, who retreated into the back office for safety.

He grabbed around £300 from the till and £70 worth of cigarettes while Evans was seen on CCTV outside the shop acting as a lookout.

An off-duty police officer chased the pair back to a house in Ashlawn Road where Bale and Evans barricaded themselves in a downstairs toilet.

Officers arrested them and found the stolen items in a washing machine and also discovered bits of material cut out to make eyeholes in a pair of hats and the scissors they had used.

Bale was handed a three-year-and-five-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to robbery and failing to surrender to police at the appointed time at Warwick Crown Court.

Evans, 34, of Ashlawn Road, Rugby, was jailed last year and received 20 months after pleading guilty to robbery and failing to surrender to police at the appointed time.

Luke Slater

A prolific and “violent criminal” who robbed three girls at knifepoint was jailed.

Luke Slater pulled out a weapon and started threatening his young victims in a wooded area near Ethelbert Road, Rochester on October 15, 2022.

Slater had approached the victims and asked them the time. When one of them got her phone out to check, Slater revealed a knife and threatened them.

He then took phones from two of them and chased the third girl who tried to run away, before stealing her phone, some cash and a ring.

He was also charged with six counts of theft from shops in City Way, Delce Road and the High Street, between October 5 and 21, 2022.

Slater, of Stevenson Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to the thefts but denied robbing the three girls or making threats with an offensive weapon.

However, he was subsequently convicted of these indictments on May 18, 2023, following a trial.

The 32-year-old was given an extended sentence of 12 years and six months.

Nicholas Lumsden

A sex offender was jailed for 14 years for abusing two girls and a woman.

Nicholas Lumsden, of Birmingham, was found guilty of committing numerous offences in Kent, including indecent assault, sexual assault and sexual activity with a child.

Police say evidence the 40-year-old had carried out historic attacks on children in Ashford surfaced while investigating allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in Dover in 2019.

Lumsden, of Selcroft Avenue, denied the charges but, following a recent trial at Maidstone Crown Court, was convicted of a string of offences, including indecent assault, sexual assault of a child and sexual activity with a child.

He was brought back before the same court on Wednesday April 17 and jailed for 14 years.

He was ordered to serve an extra five years on licence following that term and made the subject of a 25-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

DC Antony White, Kent Police's investigating officer, said: “Lumsden subjected his victims to serious sexual offences and has refused to admit his crimes, adding to their ordeals.

“I would like to praise the bravery of the victims for coming forward and for supporting our investigation and the resulting prosecution.”

Kathleen Perry

A dishonest grandmother with an "extraordinary" 40-year-long criminal record was put behind bars for posing as a police officer to hoodwink a pensioner.

Serial fraudster Kathleen Perry - whose offending was said to be "so relentless" the courts had difficulty keeping apace - targeted her victim in what a judge described as the "most callous way possible".

Maidstone Crown Court heard the 58-year-old was wearing a security armband when she called at the man's home in the town in September 2022.

She then lied that he would be arrested for sexually assaulting a child if he did not hand over his bank card and PIN.

The frightened pensioner complied and, together with a female accomplice, Perry went to a nearby ATM and withdrew £500 in two transactions.

A month earlier Perry, who is a mother-of-five with 11 grandchildren, had targeted a 69-year-old woman, also vulnerable and living alone, falsely claiming she knew her recently deceased neighbour in order to con her into handing over her bank card and PIN.

With the same accomplice, the crook then withdrew £100 and £120 from a cashpoint.

Perry, who has been on remand since September 2022, was jailed for a total of five years and one month.

Chay Hart

A thug was jailed after glassing a man who was having a drink at a town centre bar.

The victim needed stitches following the “unprovoked and brutal” attack and continues to suffer from the long-term effects of the incident.

Chay Hart, started talking to the man, who was in his 50s, at Social Chill Bar in Week Street, Maidstone, on November 5 before striking him over the head with a glass, causing him to fall to the ground.

Hart then kicked him twice before being made to leave.

The victim suffered cuts to his head and forehead that later required 18 stitches at hospital.

The 34-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent at Maidstone Crown Court on April 24 and jailed for four years and three months.

After his release, he will be subject to an extended licence period of two years.

Robert Reading

A man with a “fascination” for firearms was jailed after police found a sawn-off shotgun in his home.

Robert Reading, of Castle Street, Rochester, was suspected of having access to firearms.

A warrant was executed at his property which was searched on September 2, 2022.

Officers found a sawn-off shotgun with ammunition hidden in the loft, as well as a number of legally-held air weapons.

Reading was arrested and later charged with possession of a prohibited weapon.

The 50-year-old pleaded guilty to that offence and another investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

On April 24, he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years’ imprisonment when he appeared at Inner London Crown Court.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Mark Simcox said: “Robert Reading admitted to having a fascination with firearms but that is no excuse for him having a sawn-off shotgun hidden in his home.”

William Gridley

A thief who repeatedly tried to intimidate his victim after stealing his property was jailed.

William Gridley broke into an address on Melbourne Avenue, Dover, stealing equipment and cash along with other items.

A witness saw Gridley, who went to and from the property several times to steal, alerted Kent Police following a break-in on December 3, 2022.

Officers attended and, after Gridley was identified, later arrested him at his home.

Property that Gridley had stolen, including a television, was recovered and the following day, officers seized further items that he had taken.

The 39-year-old, of Colton Crescent, Dover, was charged and, despite bail conditions forbidding him from approaching his victim, who was known to him, made attempts to do so multiple times while awaiting court hearings.

After pleading guilty to the burglary, Gridley was sentenced to two years and one month in prison at Canterbury Crown Court.

He was also issued a five-year restraining order prohibiting him from any contact with the victim.