Time ran out for a burglar when police caught him wearing a stolen watch worth £3,000.

Stephen Wicks, 21, smashed his way into a house in Brompton Farm Road in Strood in October last year and ransacked it, stealing an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy tablet, a Kindle and three expensive watches – a Tag Heuer, a Seiko and a Raymond Weir.

A matter of hours after the burglary, police were alerted at 5pm by a member of staff at a secondhand store in Darnley Road in the town, that Wicks had come in attempting to sell the Tag Heuer watch.

The following day, officers executed a warrant at his home, which at just a few doors down from the house he targeted and he was arrested on suspicion of burglary.

Wicks, pictured here, was wearing the Tag Heuer watch at the time and had stored the Kindle in his bedside table.

He was jailed for 33 months at Maidstone Crown Court, after admitting the offence.

After sentencing, DC Daniel Bister of Kent Police, who investigated the matter, said: “We caught Wicks bang to rights.

“He claimed at first to have bought the watch from a mate for £60 but his story quickly unravelled when he was presented with the evidence against him.

“There’s no suggestion this house was left insecure but stories like this should remind everybody opportunistic burglars can be out and about at any time, so it’s always worth taking steps to ensure your home and vehicle are properly secured.

“When it comes to expensive items, we’d always advise people to store them as safely as possible – for example, high-value jewellery and other items could be placed in a safe.

“To assist officers with tracing stolen goods should the worst happen, it’s a good idea to photograph expensive items and note down any serial numbers.”