A prolific thief has been locked up for 182 days after he was caught stealing a handbag from a parked car.

Darren Sean Breen, 23, of no fixed address, was arrested after police spotted him taking the bag from a vehicle parked in Medway Park’s car park on Mill Road, Gillingham, on Saturday.

When he appeared at Medway Magistrates Court yesterday, he also faced charges of intimidating a witness and racially aggravated abuse - offences committed while he was on a suspended sentence.

Breen pleaded guilty to the three offences and was sentenced to 126 days for the intimidation charge and 56 days for stealing the handbag and its contents, totalling 182 days in prison.

He was given a further 28 days for the racially aggravated abuse which will run concurrently.

The offences meant he was in breach of a community order, so he was re-sentenced and given 168 days for three previous counts of theft and 28 days for one of criminal damage. These will also run concurrently.

Kent Police tweeted following the court case warning drivers to “avoid leaving valuable items on display for opportunist thieves to see”.