A man who burgled three houses in one night in Ellesmere Port has been jailed.
David Lightfoot, previously of Princes Road in Ellesmere Port, targeted two houses in Great Sutton and one in Whitby on Tuesday 4 February 2020.
The 46-year-old was sentenced to four years and three months at Chester Crown Court on Monday 25 January for three counts of burglary, three counts of handling stolen goods and disqualified driving. Lightfoot pleaded guilty on the day his trial was due to begin.
The court heard how Lightfoot broke into the garage of a house on Yewdale Drive. He used a suitcase to keep the door open while he stole items including an iPad mini, a mobile phone and a laptop.
Lightfoot then targeted the garage of a house on Randle Meadow and stole bottles of Chanel perfume.
The third house targeted that night was on Yeoman Way.
Lightfoot broke into the conservatory and stole keys to a Ford Fiesta along with the victim’s wallet and a watch. The car was later recovered from a car park at a pub in Little Sutton.
After he was identified by detectives as a suspect, Lightfoot was arrested at his home address.
A thorough search of the property resulted in a number of items from addresses on Yewdale Drive and Randle Meadow being found and recovered.
A number of other items were located from previous offences committed at addresses on Deesside in Whitby, Stanney Lane in Ellesmere Port and Hope Farm Road in Ellesmere Port.
While in police custody a watch and a coat that Lightfoot was wearing were seized by officers who discovered he had stolen them from the house on Yeoman Way.
After being interviewed he was subsequently charged and remanded in custody.
Following the sentencing Detective Sergeant Graeme Carvell, from Ellesmere Port Local Policing Unit, said: “In the early hours of Tuesday 4 February Lightfoot chose to go on a burglary spree to steal a large number of items including a car.
“After the burglaries were reported to police we commenced an investigation and quickly identified him as the suspect. What followed was his arrest and a search of his address which led to the stolen goods being found.
“He was even brazen enough to go into police custody wearing a watch he had stolen.
“Thankfully we were able to recover the car and a number of other items he had stolen which we returned to the owners. I hope the victims are pleased with the outcome of the investigation.”
David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “People should feel safe in their own home but for those who are a victim of a burglary it can be very distressing and have a long term affect.
“I am pleased officers have been able to recover some of the items stolen and they have been returned to their owners.
“I hope knowing justice has been served will provide some form of comfort to the victims.”
