A thief is facing a minimum three-year spell behind bars for his part in a ram-raid at a Canterbury newsagent.

Scott Barham stole tobacco and cigarettes worth £7,000 after a car was driven into the front window on St Stephens News on October 28 last year.

It left long-term shop owners Richard and Anne Manuel "upset and in disbelief" at not just the loss of stock but also the damage caused and its impact on trading.

Barham was arrested and subsequently pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court to burglary, as well as allowing himself to be carried in a Citroen DS3 taken without authority and bearing stolen number plates on the same date.

The 38-year-old also admitted attempting to break into a property in Brunswick Field, Conyer, near Sittingbourne, on October 7, and burglary at an address in Harcourt Drive, Canterbury, on November 14 in which a passport, bank card and £908 cash was stolen.

The court heard that Barham further pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud by false representation after he used the same bank card to purchase goods worth just under £120.

He was arrested the next day and, with previous convictions for burglary, will be subject to a prison term of at least three years under what is known as the "three strike" rule when he is sentenced next week.

During a hearing on Tuesday, Barham, of Beckett Avenue, Canterbury, denied another break-in at a property in Beverley Road, Canterbury, as well as theft of the Citroen and theft of number plates.

These not guilty pleas were accepted by the prosecution on the grounds of insufficient evidence and no evidence was offered.

Barham was remanded in custody until his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, January 23.

Following the ram-raid at St Stephens News, Mr and Mrs Manuel spoke to KentOnline about how they had never experienced such a crime in almost 40 years of running the store in St Stephen's Road.