A pair of prolific thieves who stole cash, jewellery and bicycles during a burglary in Snodland have been jailed for a total of more than five years.
Wilfred Grant and Gary Parks ransacked a property in Brook Street but were caught after they were identified on CCTV. Personal items including a wedding ring and cufflinks were stolen by the pair, who entered a caravan contained within a gated area, on 16 September 2020. They also took push bikes and a motorcycle, as well as possessions belonging to the victim’s children.
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Grant and Parks were arrested the following month after officers examined CCTV images which placed them at the scene. Parks, aged 31, of no fixed address, was charged with burglary and two counts of theft. He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court. On Monday 18 January 2021 he was sentenced to two years and eight months.
Grant, also 31 and of no fixed address, admitted counts of burglary and theft. He also pleaded guilty to a separate and unrelated offence of vehicle interference, after he tried to steal from a car parked in Rochester High Street on 21 July 2020. He received a sentence of two years and five months (and 24 days).
DI Richard O’Toole of West Kent CID said: ‘Both Parks and Grant are career criminals and prolific thieves, the likes of whom think they can get away with making other people’s lives a misery. Their actions have a profound impact on those they target who are often left feeling violated and unsafe.
DI Richard O’Toole
‘Criminals will often target properties which look unoccupied and provide an easy entry and exit point, so making your home look occupied will reduce the chances of you becoming a victim of crime. It also remains important to have locks on doors and windows and to remember to secure any access points, such as garden gates, sheds and garages. As this case shows, CCTV systems and doorbell cameras can also be an effective tool in deterring and identifying offenders.’