A “third-strike” burglar struck in the early hours of the morning at a house in a County Durham village last month.

Mark Ransom appeared to merely open what is believed to have been an unlocked front-door at the property in Hunwick, near Crook, before removing a set of keys and driving off in a BMW car, parked on the street outside, in North View.

Durham Crown Court heard that a son of the homeowner was awoken by the barking of dogs and then heard the apparent slamming shut of a door, downstairs, at about 4am on May 27.

Jonathan Harley, prosecuting, said he rang a neighbour, worried someone may be in the house, before looking out to see the BMW being driven off, in the direction of Willington.

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Mr Harley said, on checking, there appeared to have been nothing else taken in the brief intrusion.

Ransom was stopped by police in St John’s Chapel, in Weardale, at 7.20am, searched and found to be in possession of a set of car keys for a BMW, which was parked a few metres away.

Mr Harley said Ransom, who was arrested, was wearing a pair of sunglasses which were taken from a parked Saab 90 car earlier that morning.

A check of CCTV coverage in Hunwick showed Ransom approaching two other parked vehicles in the village, at about 3.45am that day.

In both cases he tried the car doors before walking away, and, shown the footage later, he accepted he was the person seen trying the car doors.

When interviewed he made “no comment” to all police questions.

But when he appeared before magistrates earlier this month, the 44-year-old defendant, of Greta Street North, Newfield, Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, indicated guilty pleas to charges of burglary, theft of the BMW and theft from the Saab 90.

Appearing for sentence at the crown court, via video link from HMP Durham, he also admitted two counts of vehicle interference, plus driving the BMW without insurance and driving other than in accordance with the licence.

He also admitted being in possession of a bladed article in public, after being found to be carrying a lock knife, when approached and searched by police in Durham Road, Chilton, at 1.30am on January 2 this year.

Mr Harley told the court the defendant has 35 convictions for 76 offences, most of which are for theft or similar offences.

But Judge Jo Kidd said it appeared from his record that the Hunwick house break-in made him a “third-strike” burglar, given similar offences on his record dating from 2015 and 2020.

This made him liable to the mandatory three-year prison sentence for three-strike burglars.

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David Callan, for Ransom, agreed that was the situation, but told the court his client has been in work, earning good money removing asbestos, and asked if there could be an “imaginative” sentence, in due course, to allow him to pay compensation to the victims.

Judge Kidd replied: “However imaginative I might be, the sentencing code is quite clear for those who face being sentenced for a third-strike burglary offence, particularly when the most recent such offence was in 2020."

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She imposed the mandatory three-year sentence, less 20-per cent, in recognition of Ransom’s admissions, making a total of 876 days, just under two years and five months, for the burglary.

The sentences for the remainder of the offences were made concurrent with, (to be served alongside), the 876 days.

Ransom was also given six driving penalty points for the motoring element of the offending.