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A prolific criminal who targeted properties and vehicles in west and north Kent has been jailed for eight years.
Shortly after midnight on 3 April 2024, an Audi and a Mercedes were stolen from a driveway in Wilmington, Dartford. The owner discovered the vehicle keys had been stolen from inside their house and the incident was reported to Kent Police. Investigators discovered the offenders had used a hire vehicle to travel to the scene and were later able to prove Gary Parks had been involved in the crime.
Parks was also responsible for the theft of perfume from Boots the Chemist in Sevenoaks High Street on 12 April. The items, valued at around £6,400, were placed in rucksacks by Parks and two accomplices before they left the premises without attempting to pay. Investigators identified Parks from CCTV footage.
In the early hours of 4 June, Parks travelled to Dartford High Street in a stolen Land Rover Discovery. The vehicle was displaying number plates from a similar vehicle that he had stolen during the previous evening in Blackheath, London. Parks and two others forced open the doors of Savers and stole perfume worth more than £3,300 before driving from the scene. Investigators examined CCTV footage and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). They were able to prove Parks had been using the vehicle and been involved in the burglary. Their enquiries led them to complete a search of the Welling area where the Land Rover was located and seized on 6 June.
On 18 June, a search warrant was executed at an address in Plumstead where he was arrested. Parks, from Welling, was later charged and pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to a house burglary, a shop burglary, two thefts of motor vehicles, theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property and theft from a shop. The 35-year-old was sentenced on Thursday 12 September.
Detective Constable Emma Laimbeer said;
‘Parks is a prolific offender who targeted a victim’s home overnight to steal car keys, without considering the impact this would have on those who live at the address. Furthermore he had no regard for the financial impact on businesses from losing large amounts of valuable stock. The cost of repairing the damage to the doors of one of the premises should also not be underestimated.
‘The Kent Crime Squad is a team of dedicated detectives and officers who target the most persistent criminals. Our investigation was able to piece together evidence that identified Parks as being responsible for a string of offences and we then tracked him down to a property in south London. North Kent will be a safer place now he is behind bars.’