A BISHOP’S Stortford burglar responsible for more than 100 break-ins took police on a guided tour of the homes he raided.
Jake Hall, of The Aspens, carried out scores of crimes in and around his home town, stealing property worth nearly £150,000.
Today (Thursday, February 2) at St Albans Crown Court, the 31-year-old was jailed for four years.
The father of one appeared in custody to admit four charges of burglary and possessing cannabis and shoplifting and also asked for 98 break-ins to be taken into consideration.
Jeffrey Porter, prosecuting, told the court how, in April of last year, Hall was arrested for burglary and ended up being charged with three daytime house break-ins.
They concerned a burglary at a house in Stansted Road, Bishop's Stortford on December 10 when jewellery was taken; another break-in in Nursery Road in the town last April when a coin collection and jewellery were stolen, and a final burglary in Dell Lane, Little Hallingbury, when jewellery and electrical items were taken.
However, said Mr Porter, in an attempt to wipe the slate clean, Hall took police officers out showing them other properties he had burgled since January 2010.
The court was told that at that stage Hall was placed on the Choices and Consequence programme, to help people who are offending because of an entrenched drug problem. However, last June he was caught shoplifting from a Tesco store in Dunmow.
Mr Porter said he remained on the programme, but in October last year he was arrested after he was spotted behaving suspiciously in a van by officers.
Evidence linking him to a burglary in Hunsdon three weeks earlier and 26 grams of cannabis resin were found in the vehicle and he was brought back to court for sentencing.
