A gas engineer who stole ‘priceless’ and ‘irreplaceable’ jewellery from people in Kent while working in their homes has been jailed.

Gavin Seagar, would make excuses to search other rooms for easily concealable items, including jewellery and cash while carrying out legitimate work.

On one occasion, he stole an engagement ring from a woman in Ashford.

It was given to her by her late husband more than 50 years ago and she described it as 'priceless'.

In West Malling, Seagar, of Aldham End, Elmsett, Suffolk, also stole more than £16,000 of jewellery from his victim, including rings bought for her by her husband who had died a few years before.

The 43-year-old also stole a watch bought in 1966, valuable rings, as well as significant quantities of cash from properties in other areas between 2018 and 2019.

He was sentenced to a year-and-six-months behind bars at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday after previously pleading guilty to nine counts of theft.

"This was not a one off opportunist crime, he persistently stole from people across the region..."

Detective Constable Roland Philpin, from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), said: “Seagar used his position as a gas engineer to steal sentimental items from often elderly victims.

"This was not a one off opportunist crime, he persistently stole from people across the region while working for several different companies.

“Although this sentence cannot make up for the emotional distress Seagar has caused his victims, we hope that it will provide some comfort that he is now facing justice for his actions.”