A fishing rod similar to the one used by burglar Trevor Greene

by Paul Hooper

Burglar Trevor Greene went "fishing" in a jewellers and caught a whopper... gems worth thousands of pounds!

The 52-year-old raider used a fishing rod after knocking a hole in a wall of an adjacent derelict shop in Ramsgate.

Greene and other gang members then used a fishing rod and line to hook their catch of jewels.

Greene claimed he was just the look-out for the thieves – but when police found the fishing rod used in the raid at Cartmel Jewellers in Queen Street, it had his DNA all over it.

Greene, who claimed his cut of the £31,000 theft was just £50, was jailed for 26 months after admitting burglary in May last year.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how he was caught "hook, line and sinker" after being spotted by a passing police officer who arrested him.

When interviewed, Greene admitted burgling the shop but said he had only been recruited as a look-out.

Canterbury Crown Court, where Greene's case was heard

He refused to name any of the other alleged gang members "because he didn't want to be thought of as a grass".

The court heard that none of the jewellery was ever recovered and was believed to have been sold in Thanet.

At the time of the break-in Greene, who had no fixed address, was subject to a conditional discharge for stealing a young mum's purse when her child ran off.

She left the purse on a cafe table and Greene stole it. He took cash out and threw it away.

Oliver Saxby QC, defending, said Greene had been sleeping on Thanet streets since 1999.

He said: "The idea for the burglary was not his. He was approached by people who wanted a lookout.

"There were others involved and he was not the planner of the burglary.

"He's been very stupid and he knows it. If he carries on the life he is living he says he will end up dead on the street."

The judge, Recorder Mark Ockleton, said Greene had helped knock a hole in the jeweller's shop wall late at night before using the rod to grab his "substantial" haul.

He had given no help in identifying other gang members and none of the jewels has been recovered.