Jailed for five years

A LEWES teenager has started a five-year prison sentence after admitting burgling a house in Prince Edwards Road, Lewes.

Paul Chase, 18, of Ousedale Close, was found guilty by a jury at Lewes Crown Court following a two-day trial and was sentenced on Thursday last week. He denied another burglary in Bradford Road.

Sentencing him, Judge Hayward said: 'You showed a total disregard to others' property and home.

'Your actions were deplorable. The family returned to every householder's nightmare. Not only had they been burgled, their house had been vandalised and ransacked.'

Concerning the severity of the sentence, Judge Hayward added: 'This is to mark public disapproval and to deter others.'

The burglaries were particularly disturbing as food, drink and paint had been strewn around the house.

Due to his denial of the second offence, Chase, who had no previous convictions, was given no credit for an early guilty plea or for co-operating with police.

Lewes Sector Inspector Rex Matthews said this week: 'This is a fantastic result for the police and the people of Lewes.

'Chase had been a target of ours for some considerable time.

'The court's judgement goes some way to show just how serious we took the threat of this man to the people of Lewes.

'No doubt this will act as a serious warning to other people who prey on the people of Lewes. It is a sharp, clear message of how the criminal justice system treats people who invade our privacy and private lives.

'We are confident that only a small number of people are habitually committing crime in Lewes.

'We are targeting our resources appropriately while also responding to the public's call of greater police presence on the streets.

'Displacement and disruption of those offenders known to local police will continue within Lewes sector so that we drive down criminal activity like that committed by Chase. You just cannot beat plain old, intelligence-led policing.'