More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A bungling burglar who was found hiding in the back of a car with a stolen feather-trimmed lamp has been locked up for five years.
Mark Heard, 37, of no fixed address, was sentenced for the Broadstairs raid as well as other offences - including pouring a bucket of urine over a man's head.
Heard burgled a home in Broadstairs on December 4 and stole items including a lamp and sets of keys.
The victim reported it to officers on patrol in the area, who pursued a vehicle which had been seen earlier by the property.
Heard was found in the rear seat of the car, along with the lamp.
He had asked a woman he knew for a lift to a house he claimed he had bought - and directed her to the property in Kingsgate Bay Road.
Once inside, she became concerned at his bad behaviour and suspicious the house was not really his.
"Mark Heard seemed to be on a one-man crusade to upset others and was happy to steal and damage property which wasn’t his..."
Persuading her to give him a lift elsewhere, he left, carrying the lamp under his arm. He was arrested by police a short time later.
As part of an investigation into the burglary, Heard’s fingerprints were found on a glass tumbler and a wine bottle at the victim’s house.
Heard appeared at Canterbury Crown Court earlier this month and admitted carrying out the burglary.
He also admitted to three other separate matters - including throwing a bucket of urine over a man on July 4, 2017, assaulting an emergency worker on August 14, 2019, and causing criminal damage on November 23, 2019
PC Emma Wheeler said after sentencing: "Mark Heard seemed to be on a one-man crusade to upset others and was happy to steal and damage property which wasn’t his.
"Burglary is a very invasive crime, with criminals walking through your home, touching your belongings. Heard took it a step further by causing a significant mess which must have been really disconcerting for the victim.
"I’m glad we were able to return the stolen items to their rightful owner, and I hope Heard’s prison sentence brings her reassurance."
To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here
