A serial burglar who took a bath, cooked food and even left a hypodermic syringe in a child's cot has been jailed for nearly four years.

Homeless Andrew Cushman, 40, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court after neighbours told of their shock after returning to their Magpie Hall Road homes in Chatham on October 20 last year.

When the first owner noticed his shed had been left open he went outside to investigate, and found a needle near the door.

Looking over the fence, he found some of his old jumpers covering a carrier bag. Inside was a black wallet with a credit card inside in the name of Andrew Cushman.

Later the same day a neighbour came home to find her house had been trashed, food had been eaten, the microwave had been used and a number of syringes left around the house.

One had even been dumped inside a child's cot.

But as she looked around she was shocked to see the intruder had even taken a bath.

A neighbour walking past the house at the time stopped after noticing the home had been trashed and confronted Cushman, who was seen coming out of the house with some tools.

The man asked him what he was doing before Cushman punched him in the side of the head.

"Entering a property and leaving needles around the house, including in a child’s bed, is beyond contempt" - Det Con Steve Day

The man hit him back before running inside to check if the woman and her children were in, as Cushman ran off.

Officers sent the needles off for forensic identification which confirmed they were Cushman’s.

He denied the burglaries, but was convicted and sentenced to three years and nine months. He was also sentenced to two months for common assault by beating, to run concurrently.

Investigating officer, Det Con Steve Day of Kent Police, said: "Cushman is a prolific career criminal with numerous convictions for burglary dwellings.

"He has had a significant impact on people’s lives in the past with his criminal offending and in this case, entering a property and leaving needles around the house, including in a child’s bed, is beyond contempt.

"This sentence should send a clear message out to burglary offenders in Medway that criminals will be dealt with robustly and that Kent Police will do everything in its power to make the public feel safe in their homes."