A careless thief put his foot in it when he raided Rochester airport to steal aviation fuel, a court heard.

Christopher Head left muddy footprints behind as he climbed over the wings of planes, causing extensive damage, to siphon off the fuel.

Police were able to make a match with the 21-year-old farm worker’s trainers and DNA including saliva on a piece of hosepipe.

It led a judge to comment: “Part of me takes the view that you are not very good at what you do because you leave scientific traces of being involved in a crime.”

Head also endangered the safety of pilots and passengers as dirt or debris left in aircraft tanks could have caused engine failure mid-flight, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Donna East said Head tried to escape detection by putting tape over CCTV cameras at the airport.

But as well as the footprints and DNA, he was also traced through his Facebook page when selling a grinder stolen during a six-month crime spree in which he repeatedly targeted the airport and a car breaker’s yard in Strood.

"Part of me takes the view that you are not very good at what you do" - Judge

He was arrested after the owner of Molly’s Car and Commercial Recycling in Rochester spotted Head on CCTV cameras breaking into the premises again in January.

Head, of Curzon Road, Chatham, admitted four offences of theft, two of burglary, handling stolen goods, going equipped for theft and taking a motorcycle without authority between October 22 last year and April 16.

“Footprints left in dirt on the wings of an aircraft were similar to those left at Molly’s car breakers, and when arrested they were consistent with the defendant’s footwear,” said Miss East.

“A piece of loose hosepipe was also found and had his DNA from his saliva.”

Head’s DNA was also on tape he used to cover up a CCTV camera at the breaker’s yard. He left behind a large carving knife. The value of the fuel stolen was said to run into hundreds of pounds.

Security was stepped up as a result of the thefts and the airport’s reputation was said to have suffered.

Jailing the father-to-be for 16 months, Judge Philip Statman said the overall effect of his criminality was considerable in terms of safety, security and financial loss to the losers.

Head was no doubt part of a gang with “sufficient understanding and sophistication” to locate soft targets for commercial gain.

He was given a suspended sentence for another burglary in January and breached the order by committing theft and burglary two months later.

He was jailed for 200 days and was due to be released in August. The latest sentence will run consecutively.