Burglar stole wallets from pensioner

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A burglar sneaked into the home of a trusting pensioner in Canterbury and swiped two wallets.

By the time the victim had spotted the theft, David Burt had used two stolen credit cards and cash from the wallets to buy alcohol and drugs.

Drug-addict Burt, 47, of Whitstable Road, Canterbury, who has a string of previous convictions, admitted three frauds.

Now a judge at Canterbury Crown Court has jailed him for 32 months after he admitted the burglary in King Street just minutes before he was due to stand trial.

Recorder Anthony Clover was told the elderly victim was having work done on his property in June. To make it easier for the workers to come and go, he left his front door “on the latch”, the court was told.

But Burt took advantage of that and got into the property and stole the wallets – and then went to three nearby stores.

The victim discovered the thefts and immediately called the bank to cancel the cards – but by then Burt had been into Sainsbury’s in St Dunstan’s Street and spent £27.50 on bottles of brandy.

The court heard that just eight minutes later he went to the Express store in St Peter’s Street, where he used the card to buy more goods worth £2.95.

He was caught after police reviewed the shops’ CCTV footage and arrested him in St Peter’s Street.

The judge heard that Burt has been convicted of 69 offences since 1986 – 15 of them burglaries and almost two-thirds for thefts.

Picture: Kent Police Recidivist David Burt has been jailed for 32 months