A man has been sentenced to three years after admitting to a string of offences.

Leon Holder, 30, pleaded guilty to three burglaries, two thefts, an attempted theft, making off without payment from petrol stations, plus driving and drug offences.

After burgling a house on April 27 and stealing the keys to the owner's Mercedes ML 250, Holder and another man stole the vehicle from the Batten Walk, Maidstone property.

CCTV placed Holder near the scene when the incident took place, at about 11.25pm.

The next day, the criminal and an accomplice were spotted by CCTV near the scene of another burglary, this time in Sherenden Road, Tudeley where keys were stolen while the owners were away and an attempt made to take their car.

The pair burgled an address in Charlton Lane, West Farleigh later the same day, stealing car keys and two bags.

They took the householder's VW Golf and - about an hour and a half later - went to a petrol station in Cranbrook to place fuel in the car, before leaving without paying. Security cameras at the premises caught Holder sitting in the passenger seat.

Items from the Charlton Lane burglary and the owner’s booklet for the stolen Mercedes were found by a member of the public on the roadside in Ewhurst Green, East Sussex on April 29.

The criminal couple then went to a store in the Angel Centre, Tonbridge, where they were filmed pocketing clothing worth £800 before escaping in the VW Golf with fake number plates.

On May 1, Holder drove the Mercedes to a garage in Cranbrook where he again filled it without paying.The number plates had been stolen from a Honda in Popes Row, Cranbrook between April 27 and 28.

Later that day, the Mercedes was stopped by a police patrol in Swanley at which point he was arrested.

A home search turned up clothing featured in CCTV footage, and the officers also seized 3.7 grams of amphetamine from a refrigerator at the premises.

"Holder is a prolific offender and did not care about the effect his crimes had on the victims."- PC Robert Fagg, investigating officer

Leon Holder of Fairview, Hawkhurst was later charged with the burglaries, theft offences, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and possession of Class B drugs.

He pleaded guilty to all charges when appearing at Maidstone Crown Court and today he was sentenced at the same court to three years and four months in prison. He also received six points on his driving licence.

Investigating officer Police Constable Robert Fagg said: "Holder is a prolific offender and did not care about the effect his crimes had on the victims.

"Once he had been identified on CCTV footage by local officers, it was just a matter of time before we tracked him down and brought him to justice.

"It is only right that the residents of west Kent are protected from his offending while he serves a jail sentence."

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