Two Huddersfield burglars have been jailed after crashing a Renault Clio taken from outside one of the houses they targeted.
Leeds Crown Court heard Lee James Kennedy and Shane Luther George got into the property in Raw Nook Road, Salendine Nook, by smashing a glass panel in a door with a hammer while the occupants were on holiday last June.
Nick Adlington prosecuting said among the property taken were the keys to the car which was recorded on the automatic number plate recognition system just before 1am in Manchester Road heading towards the town centre.
About 15 minutes later it crashed in Halifax Old Road and two males were seen to get out and run off to Poplar Street.
Inquiries later revealed Kennedy had used a mobile phone shortly after connecting to a phone mast 100 metres away and his DNA was also found on an air bag in the car.
Mr Adlington told the court Kennedy and George had already committed an earlier burglary between 23-25 May at a house in Wheatfield Avenue, Marsh again when the occupants were holiday.
In that case a lock on a rear door was snapped and jewellery and other items were taken including a phone which was later found to have been sold to Cash Converters in Market Street, Huddersfield by someone else who said he had got it from Kennedy.
Although some items were recovered around £3,000 worth was still outstanding.
Kennedy was also responsible for a third break-in at a house in Heatherfield Road, Marsh overnight on June 7 when the lock on a door was broken.
A scratch card and a one and a half litre bottle of coke were the only items taken although drawers had been searched upstairs. The bottle was subsequently found in an alleyway with Kennedy’s DNA profile.
Both men were on licence at the time from previous sentences for burglary.
Ben Campbell for Kennedy said he realised custody was inevitable. He already had a two year old child and his partner was expecting another and it had brought home to him how much he would miss of their formative years.
Chloe Hudson for George said he too realised how much he had thrown away having been promised joinery work by his father.
Kennedy, 28 of Pickford Street, Milnsbridge admitted three burglaries and was jailed for four years five months.
George, 25 of Rawthorpe Lane, Rawthorpe, admitted two burglaries and was jailed for four years.
Judge Neil Clark said it was an aggravating feature they were on licence at the time and both through their previous records for burglary were subject to minimum sentences. “There was a degree of organisation in this offending.”
