James Sansom burgled a commercial property and then a residential address in Marine Drive, Margate, on Monday 8 August 2022.

At 8.20am that day, Kent Police received a 999 call to a commercial premises, which was not in use at the time, and quickly worked to put a containment around the area in order to find the intruder.

Officers from the Thanet Community Policing Team, accompanied by a police dog and handler, identified the suspect’s description as being Sansom, and made their way into the building to search each room for him while other patrols stayed to monitor the exits.

A report of a burglary in a nearby property was then received in which a games console, clothing and aftershave were stolen and Sansom was seen leaving through a window and climbing up on to the roof.

Officers followed on foot as Sansom tried to escape by running over the roof, carrying shopping bags on each arm as he ran. He was caught a short time later and the shopping bags filled with stolen items were recovered nearby.

The 42-year-old of Dalby Square, Margate, admitted two counts of burglary and was given a custodial sentence of two years and four months when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday 28 September 2022.

DS Neil Martin of east Kent CID said: ‘James Sansom is a prolific burglar and went to extraordinary heights to evade capture. Unfortunately for him, the swift actions of attending officers working with CCTV operators meant there was nowhere for him to hide.

‘As Sansom already had a suspended sentence through previous offending, he is now facing a longer time in prison.’