A father-of -three made a desperate plea for compassion from his prison cell after finding out he is about to become a dad again.

Burglar Dominic Lycett had been caught red-handed stealing jewellery from a house in College Avenue, Gillingham.

He'd just found out his wife was pregnant with his fourth child.

Reading from a letter from a room at Elmley Prison the 39-year-old told Judge David Griffith-Jones QC: "I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart because my actions have affected many people's lives.

"May I ask for a little compassion, not for myself but for my beautiful wife, my small children and my unborn baby who are also being punished for my actions, which were selfish and stupid.

"My beautiful wife has had to struggle with three children who ask where their daddy is."

Amy Nicholson, prosecuting, had told Maidstone Crown Court how a neighbour saw Lycett "acting suspiciously" in the College Avenue, Gillingham on October 8.

"You don't look a gift horse in the mouth..." Dominic Lycett

"As a result, he kept an eye on him and saw him force open a door of a house of a neighbour.

"He immediately called the police and officers arrived soon after and found the defendant inside wearing gloves. He had made an untidy search of the house."

The prosecutor said when Lycett was arrested and searched jewellery and a bank card were found in his pocket.

Lycett, who has a criminal record containing 39 offences, would later claim he had come across a "wide-open" door adding: "You don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

He said he had been drinking all night and had been on his way home "to sleep it off" when he decided to break into the house, adding: "I did not need the money as I had money and I had a job. I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I cannot justify why I entered their home."

He said the comment about "gift horse" was a "stupid one made by a drunk fool who never used his brain."

Lycett began reading his letter with "To Whom It May Concern: I'd like to start by opening with a sincere apology to the persons whose house I was found inside and their family.

"I would also like to apologise to my wife and children. I had no right to have entered this person's house and take their belongings in which they were entitled (sic).

"I cannot excuse my actions for I alone am responsible for them. I'd like to say that at the time I was going through a lot of issues... and I was self-medicating on alcohol and drugs.

"I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. I cannot go back no matter what but I truly regret my actions."

Lycett, of Corporation Street, Gillingham, was jailed for 28 months and 24 days after admitting the burglary.

The judge told him: "In your letter you have said all the right things, expressing regret and remorse and an apology directed to the householders and your family.

"The extent to which those sentiments are truly genuine must remain at this stage a matter of some doubt given your previous history. I very much hope they prove to be genuine."

Officer in charge of the case, Police Constable Rebecca Veares said: "Lycett’s blatant attempt to enter a person’s home to steal from them has rightly led to a custodial sentence. We understand how invasive burglary is, and that it can leave a victim with long-lasting feelings of fear and anxiety and we will continue to identify, target and disrupt those suspected of burglary offences and bring them to justice."

To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.

For information on how we can report on court proceedings, click here.