A man from Runcorn who attempted to burgle four houses in the town has been jailed.
Lewis Johnson, of Churchill Mansions, Cooper Street, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 6 May.
He was jailed for 20 months.
The 25-year-old had earlier pleaded guilty to four counts of attempted burglary.
The court heard that Johnson had been released from prison on Tuesday 31 March.
Upon his release he was told to self-isolate for seven days as a fellow inmate at the prison he was in had tested positive for Covid-19.
Despite this, just two days later, in the early hours of Thursday 2 April, Johnson went out and attempted to gain entry to at least four homes in Fisher Court.
The offences came to light due to one of the homes being fitted with a motion sensitive CCTV camera.
The camera filmed Johnson approaching the properties and then checking door handles to see if any of them were unlocked.
Thankfully, all of the homes he targeted were secure.
Following his sentencing, Detective Constable Ciara Murphy, of Runcorn CID, said: “On this occasion Johnson was unsuccessful in his attempts to gain entry to the homes. However, that should not detract from the severity of his offending.
“I have no doubt that if the homes had not been secure he would have burgled them.
“What makes Johnson’s crimes worse is the fact that he had been told to self-isolate. Not only did he commit at least four attempted burglary offences, he also put people’s lives at risk.
“Thankfully, as a result of CCTV footage from one of the homes he targeted and the work of the team of detectives here at Runcorn Police Station, Johnson is now facing the consequences of his actions.
“I hope that this case and the sentence handed to him by Chester Crown Court deters others from committing similar offences.”
In addition to his sentence for the four attempted burglaries, Johnson was also recalled to prison in relation to a number of other previous convictions.
