BURGLARS who took two family cars after a “two-in-one” break-in were soon traced as one of the vehicles had a tracking device fitted, a court heard.

Jonathan Lee was one of at least two men involved in the burglary at a house in Shinwell Drive, Peterlee, from where two sets of car keys were taken in the early hours of May 16.

Durham Crown Court was told that it enabled Lee and his accomplices to drive away in a Nissan Qashqai and a BMW parked on the drive way outside the house.

Adam Keenaghan, prosecuting, said the first the car owners knew of the crime was when they were woken by police at 5.20am, and on looking outside they could see both vehicles were missing.

The couple went downstairs and found their patio doors were open, indicating the means of entry for the intruders.

Mr Keenaghan said word of the crime spread to other residents of Shinwell Drive via a local Facebook group, and neighbours checked cctv to discover two figures skulking about in the street trying car and house doors, as well as entering sheds, at about 4.50am that morning.

As the victims' BMW, bought for £18,800, was fitted with a tracking system, it was quickly traced to Juniper Court, in Easington, where three occupants were found in the vehicle.

Mr Keenaghan said they all made off, but one of the police officers arriving at the scene pursued and caught Lee, who was still wearing a black glove left in the car.

Both the BMW and Qashqai were recovered by police, each of them with the keys still in the ignition.

Lee was interviewed later that day and gave police a pre-prepared lawyer's statement.

The 31-year-old defendant, of Fairbairn Road, Peterlee, admitted two counts of burglary, one being a neighbouring garden shed, attempted burglary of another house, plus two theft charges, one each for the stolen cars.

Mr Keenaghan said Lee’s 38 convictions for 66 offences including previous domestic burglaries, which have left him a “third-strike” offender, requiring a starting point for his latest sentence of at least three years, “unless it is unjust to do so”.

He was also on licence at the time of the Peterlee spree from a 50-month sentence imposed at Preston Crown Court, in May 2019.

Read more: Three-strikes Peterlee burglar given near five-year jail sentence

Martin Scarborough, for Lee, said he was one of three men involved in the crimes early that morning, but claimed to be the “look out” for the house burglary and was one of the passengers in the stolen BMW when apprehended, as the others made off from the scene.

Mr Scarborough said after Lee’s release on licence near to the mid-point of his sentence from Preston he lived briefly at a hostel and then, for a short while, “back home” where he was offered a job he was due to start soon afterwards.

But Mr Scarborough said he became involved with, “the old crowd”, and took part in the offending that morning, followed by his subsequent arrest, meaning he never started the job.

Judge James Adkin said had Lee taken the case to trial, the starting point on conviction would have been a 60-month sentence but, allowing him 25-per cent discount for his guilty pleas, he imposed a 45-month term of imprisonment.

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