A burglar who broke into a family home and stole their BMW and Nissan Qashqai while they slept was captured after police tracked down the vehicles.
Jonathan Lee was part of a group who targeted homes on Shinwell Drive in Peterlee in the early hours of May 16 this year. The 31-year-old managed to break into a family home through a patio door and stole keys to their two vehicles, one of which had been bought only a week before.
The BMW - which was fitted with a tracker - and Nissan were stolen but police managed to trace the vehicles later the same day to a street in Easington, with Lee being arrested at the scene. On Wednesday, Lee, of Fairbairn Road, Peterlee, appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for two counts of burglary, two counts of theft and one count of attempted burglary. He pleaded guilty to the charges at the hearing.
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Adam Keenaghan, prosecuting, said the victims of the burglary were a couple, and were asleep at home along with their two daughters. The property was secure, but the couple were woken up at around 5.20am by the sound of police. He said: "They were awoken by police officers, who were inside their house. They looked outside and established that their cars had been taken. They both went downstairs and the patio doors were wide open. The door to the living room cabinet was also open and keys had been taken."
Mr Keenaghan said the Nissan, which belonged to the woman, had been bought a week before the burglary for around £5,000. The man's BMW was also recently bought for around £18,000. Following the incident, word spread of the burglary between other residents - who were in a Facebook group - and many checked their CCTV footage. One resident checked their footage and saw men entering their shed, but leaving empty handed, with another neighbour seeing men trying her car door but failing to gain access.
Mr Keenaghan said that the BMW that had been stolen was fitted with a tracker device, and officers traced it to Jupiter Court in Easington. When officers arrived, they also spotted the Nissan, which was occupied by three men who then made off. However, Lee, who had 38 previous convictions for 66 offences - including burglary, was arrested at the scene.
Martin Scarborough, defending, said Lee was with two other men at the time of the burglary and asked for credit for his guilty pleas. he said: "He tells me that after serving his sentence he is determined to move away from Peterlee after getting back in with the old crowd."
Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, jailed Lee for 45 months.
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