Darren Jarvis burgled a property in St Augustine’s Road, but was caught leaving by the victim who challenged him and followed the burglar until police arrived. He was charged following an investigation by the Chief Constable’s Crime Squad.
At Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday 21 October, Jarvis was sentenced to a total of four years in prison, for the burglary and an unrelated charge of assaulting a police officer.
During the early hours of Tuesday 14 January 2020, the victim woke up to hear footsteps outside his room and looked out into the hallway to see his two bicycles were missing. He called the police and went outside where he saw a man wearing his cycle helmet and trying to ride away on one of the bikes while carrying a large flatscreen television.
The victim challenged the 51-year-old thief, later identified as Jarvis, and took the bicycle and helmet back. Jarvis dropped the television and started to run away but the victim chased him on the recovered bicycle, amid Jarvis’s verbal threats of harm towards him.
Officers arrived shortly after and arrested Jarvis.
At court Jarvis, of Station Road East, Canterbury, admitted the burglary and was sentenced to three years after it was heard he had breached a conditional discharge he had received in May 2019. He received an additional year on his sentence for assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm against a police officer during a disturbance at a shop in St George’s Street on 20 November 2019.
Investigating officer PC Samantha Lewis said: ‘The burglary victim was courageous in his efforts to stop Jarvis escaping with his ill-gotten gains, and he risked a lot by tracking this nasty character through the city.
‘The second stolen bicycle, as well as other items, including computer games, were never recovered and we suspect Jarvis was not working alone, although he has not shown any remorse by cooperating with the investigation to recover the missing goods. I hope he uses his time in prison to consider just how mean-spirited his behaviour is and the effect burglaries have on victims.’
