Exclusive by Paul Hooper

Thief Jamie Ponter proved to be a real sucker after breaking into two depots to steal diesel... and leaving detectives a big clue!

The 23-year-old used a length of hosepipe to siphon hundreds of gallons of fuel from lorries in Appledore and Hawkinge.

But the hapless burglar made the task of tracking him down easier.... by leaving his saliva on the tube!

Now Ponter of Pilgrim Spring, Folkestone has been jailed for a year for his raids on Viridor Waste Management premises in Hawkinge and Scotland and Bates coach company in Appledore.

Prosecutor James Bilsland told Canterbury Crown Court how Ponter scaled scaffolding to break into Viridor in February this year and then stole 700 litres of fuel from three vehicles.

He said the thief then cut a length of hosepipe to get the diesel and leaving the company with a repair bill of more than £2,000.

In March, Ponter broke into the coach company and took £250 worth of fuel from six lorries - again using a tube to siphon away the fuel.

Police officers sent the pipe for forensic examination – and discovered DNA from saliva which matched Ponter’s because of his criminal record.

The court heard that the burglaries – which Ponter admitted – were carried out while he was under two suspended jail terms.

Oliver Saxby, defending, said Ponter was desperate for cash and “gave into temptation” and stole the fuel.

The judge Recorder Peter Morgan jailed him for a total of eight months for the burglaries – and ordered the four month suspended sentence to run consecutively.

He told him: “You have a lamentable criminal record. You had been given suspended sentences as a last chance to keep you out of trouble.”