A burglar who spent the May bank holiday weekend breaking into businesses around Thanet and Canterbury has been jailed for four years.
During May 5-6, charity boxes were stolen and cash boxes and safes were ransacked from locations, including private addresses, cafes, offices, industrial units, and bars in Herne Bay, Manston, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Westgate, Birchington and Canterbury.
Attempts were even made to steal the cash boxes attached to washing machines in the laundry area of a caravan park.
A total of 17 burglaries and attempted burglaries were reported. Victims came forward with footage of the hooded offender recorded on their CCTV systems.
Following some of the burglaries safes which were reported stolen were thrown from the bridge at the Chine in Ramsgate in an apparent bid to break them open.
An investigation was launched by Kent Police and within three days of the burglaries, 25-year-old Jordan Line had been identified by officers as one of the offenders and he was arrested.
Line, of Margate Road in Ramsgate, was charged on May 9 with conspiracy to burgle.
He admitted the charge and on Thursday (June 6) at Canterbury Crown Court he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Detective Sergeant Jay Robinson, whose team within Kent Police led the investigation, said: “This result is down to brilliant support from the businesses involved, and a lot of swift work from officers reviewing hours of CCTV and having the good local knowledge to identify an offender. Work is still very much ongoing to identify the others involved in the burglaries.
“We always encourage businesses and homes not just to consider installing CCTV but also to spend time learning how to operate and download it.
“In this instance having the ready availability of the CCTV footage meant there was nowhere for Line to hide and consequently he was arrested and charged very quickly.”
