When a home owner saw a light come on in her hall she thought her cat had activated the movement sensor.

So she banged a door which swung open to reveal prolific burglar David Solly.

He said he was a builder and had been asked to check the house but in reality he thought the house in Chatham was empty and had gone to burgle it, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Solly, 39, admitted six burglaries and thefts and was jailed for 50 months by Judge David Griffith-Jones QC.

He then told the judge this was too long and would break up his family.

The court heard Solly, of Canterbury Street, Gillingham, had appeared in court 46 times and had 114 previous convictions, including almost 80 burglaries, thefts, fraud or deception offences.

Daniel Stevenson, prosecuting, said that on January 15 Solly entered a house at The Hamiltons, Chatham thinking it was empty because it was on a building site but some of the houses were occupied.

The other offences, which all happened in January and February, involved the theft of a phone and wallet from a lorry delivering to a pub in Cuxton Road, Rochester and two burglaries at Kendro Greek restaurant in Watling Street, Gillingham in which Solly took boxes of alcohol worth £1,000.

The offences were committed while Solly was on a suspended sentence and also on licence.

Laura Blackband, defending, said Solly’s offending was all to do with drugs.

"His partner of 22 years was standing by him but his two adult children have nothing to do with him because of his crimes.

“When he entered the house he was looking for tools and thought it was part of the building site and was surprised to find it was occupied by someone,” she said.

“He wants to be clean of drugs and is receiving some treatment. He would like to get back on track with his son who is in the army.”

Judge Griffith-Jones told Solly: “Even if you thought the house was on a building site it would have been blindingly obvious to you that it was occupied.

“You have shown a poor response in the past when sentences have been imposed which have been designed to give you another chance.

“You have failed to take drug treatment opportunities and you have a long way to go.”

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