A brazen serial thief who plundered homes, garages, and supermarkets across Kent has finally been locked up after a high-tech dashcam caught him red-handed.
Light-fingered Wilfred Grant, 36, sneaked into a garage in Lewson Street, Sittingbourne, after spotting the door had been left wide open. He casually strolled off with £500 worth of tools, completely unaware that a dashcam was filming his every move. Police quickly tracked down the drifter, charging him with burglary, but he was released on bail to await his day in court.
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Wilfred Grant
Instead of keeping his nose clean, the unrepentant crook went right back to his old tricks, launching a fresh crime wave across Tonbridge and Aylesford. He raided a unit at the Mill Hall Business Estate, making off with a quad bike, earthing wire, and a battery worth £600. Officers intercepted his getaway vehicle shortly after, recovering the stolen loot, but Grant still refused to stop. Just three days later, he brazenly walked into a Co-op service station in East Peckham and snatched a bottle of booze.
As the weeks rolled on, Grant targeted convenience stores across Maidstone, treating local shops like his personal pantry. Over a chaotic six-week period, he repeatedly stuffed his pockets with laundry products, cleaning supplies, and groceries before walking out without paying a single penny, but the law finally caught up with the homeless crook, who was slapped with seven counts of theft and following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court, Grant was hit with a prison sentence of two years and one month.
“Grant is a prolific thief who clearly shows a total disregard for the law,” said Police Constable Dan Quinn. “I am pleased he is now spending more time behind bars, unable to continue carrying out further offences and cause harm in our communities.”