Thief jailed after sharp-eyed spot

A THIEF caught in the act by a Neighbourhood Watch member has been given four months in prison.

Errol Willis, of Fore Street, Ipswich, was seen breaking in to cars in Bramford Road, Ipswich after a female resident saw him breaking in to two cars.

But five days later he was caught again going equipped to commit a crime in Windsor Road, Ipswich.

At South East Suffolk Magistrates Court, Willis pleaded guilty to two counts of theft, of going equipped and obstructing or resisting a police officer.

The court heard how on October 8 the resident heard a metallic sound outside and looked out of her window to see a shadowy figure. She thought it looked suspicious and called the police.

By then Willis, 39, had left the first car and had broken in to another.

When the police arrived Willis hid behind the car and moved around it to avoid being seen by the officers.

Willis, who has a criminal record, was discovered and arrested and when the area was searched a videotape cassette, which had been in one of the cars, was found.

Five days later a policeman on foot patrol in Windsor Road at 12.15am, saw Willis crouched by a car door with a tool which he later discovered was a screwdriver.

The policeman told Willis to stop but he started to run away so that the officer gave chase and released a police dog.

When Willis was caught and taken to Ipswich police station he gave the name of Terry Spicer while being booked in to custody, but although he later gave his real name he was charged with obstructing a police officer.

In mitigation Charles Riddleston said that Willis, who was a qualified electrician, wanted to re-start his own business and that he had been stressed because his mother had died last month.

Willis, who was already in custody for another matter, was sentenced to serve one month for each of the charges to run concurrently with his other sentence.