Prolific West Sussex thief jailed just days after previous conviction
Christopher Light was caught breaking into vehicles
A West Sussex man has been jailed after being caught breaking into a car - just days after being convicted of similar offences.
Christopher Light had been sentenced for four counts of vehicle interference in the Wickhurst Green area of Broadbridge Heath on December 21st.
He was given a 12-month community order which included an electronic tag for monitoring.
But just a week later, on Monday (December 28th), he was witnessed rummaging through the glovebox of a car in Ellis Road.
Light tried to flee the scene after being challenged by a neighbour, but two off-duty police officers were able to find and detain him until further police arrived.
The 42-year-old, of Broadbridge Heath, was arrested and found to be in possession of a bank card belonging to another person.
He was subsequently charged with vehicle interference, theft of a bank card and breach of a community order.
Due to the seriousness and number of offences, Light was remanded in custody to appear before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (December 30th), where he was sentenced to a total of 32 weeks’ imprisonment.
Acting Sergeant Andy Bryant, of the Horsham Neighbourhood Response Team, said:
“This custodial sentence is a result of persistent offending by an individual who has received multiple warnings in the past.
“Light is well known in the local area, largely due to the vigilance of residents in looking out for one another.
“Thanks to them, he will see in the New Year behind bars, which we hope will provide some reassurance to the local community.
“I’d also like to urge people to take steps to prevent vehicle crime – lock it when it is not in use, don’t leave anything of value on display or in the vehicle at all, and try to park in an area which is well lit or covered by CCTV.”