A PREDATORY burglar who tried door handles in the middle of the night whilst homeowners slept upstairs has been jailed.

Kieton Pearson brazenly wandered around a housing estate in Houghton-le-Spring hoping to access unlocked properties.

He was caught by a team of burglar hunters who pieced together a CCTV trail that showed him shamelessly going door-to-door in the early hours of June 29.

Detective Constable Stu Havery, of Northumbria Police’s Southern Burglary Team, said: “Pearson is somebody well-known to officers and his dishonesty has been laid bare.”

The Burglary Team is a team of dedicated burglar hunters who review every incident that takes place across Sunderland and South Tyneside.

DC Stu Havery added: “He showed little regard for others as he brazenly attempted to break into houses on an estate as the occupants were fast asleep.

“Burglary is an incredibly intrusive crime and victims of this type of criminality can sometimes be made to feel frightened or anxious in their own homes as a result.

“In this case, Pearson was rumbled after a member of the public spotted him acting suspiciously and informed the house’s occupants.

“They, in turn, then called police and officers managed to trawl through hours of CCTV footage to follow Pearson’s movements that morning. He is now behind bars because of his actions.

“The public are our eyes and ears, and while we have officers out on the streets every single day looking to arrest those who prey on our communities, we also rely on residents who see anything suspicious to come forward and report it.”

In a statement read in court, one victim said: “The incident has really upset me and my family. God knows what would have happened if the door was open.

“This lad had the gall to try and break in to my house.

“This crime makes me feel sick and violated and something should be done to stop him.”

A second victim added: “Although I never suffered any loss, I feel sick at the thought that someone has tried to get in.”

The 20-year-old. of The Lawns, Easington Lane, admitted four counts of attempted burglary at a South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court hearing on Wednesday, August 14.

He was sentenced to 47 weeks in prison.