A THIEF who was found in his victim’s kitchen with his pockets full of their belongings has been jailed.

Luke Slater, 24, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on November 20, where he admitted theft and burglary.

On Wednesday September 26, Essex Police were called after a man spotted Slater acting suspiciously in Castledon Road at around 1.50pm.

Police attended the scene in Wickford within 12 minutes with Slater in the kitchen of the home he had broken into.

Officers arrested Slater at the scene. While he was being detained, a huge stash of valuable items fell out of his pockets.

This included a set of car keys, a necklace, a mobile phone and a glass breaker, all of which fell to the floor and were recovered by police.

In addition to this, inside Slater's bag was a stolen iPad, jewellery box, more keys and a camera.

All of the items are thought to be from the same house, which Slater would have successfully raided had it not been for an eagle-eyed resident.

At Basildon Crown Court, Slater, of Rowdowns Road, Dagenham received a two month prison sentence for theft, and a 24 month prison sentence for burglary, which will run concurrently, meaning he will be behind bars for two years in total.

Investigating officer DC Matthew Musson, of Basildon CID, commended the quick thinking resident who called the police leading to Slater's swift arrest.

He said: “A concerned neighbour quickly called police when he saw Slater acting suspiciously. I would like thank him for his vigilance.

“We got the scene as quickly as we could and found Slater inside someone else’s home.

“He was caught in the act and had no excuses, especially when stolen property started falling out of his pockets onto the floor.

“Slater will now have plenty of thinking time locked in prison.”