Craig Knight, 34, of no fixed address, admitted stealing items from homes, including a car.
Initial reports were made to police on January 5, 2023, when a man was seen acting suspiciously around a van that had its alarm sounding in a car park in Chapel Street, Brighton.
The man was intercepted by security and when officers arrived, he was detained and identified as Craig Knight.
He was in possession of a knife, cannabis and letters addressed to a tattoo shop in Kemp Town which had been recently broken into.
Knight also had some dog treats in his pocket, which were linked to ones found within the tattoo shop.
A florist near the tattoo shop also reported damage to their shopfront around the time of the tattoo shop break in and upon checking CCTV, a man matching Knight’s description was seen damaging a window.
Knight was arrested and immediately recalled to prison for breaching the terms of his licence in relation to previous offences.
On June 17 this year, Knight was charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place, possessing a Class B drug, burglary and attempted burglary.
He was due to appear at court the following month to answer charges, however ahead of this, on July 10, a property in Clifton Hill, Brighton was broken into during the night.
A resident was awoken by a noise and saw a man in the hallway. She raised the alarm and Knight left the property, having stolen a vast number of items from inside, as well as a car.
The car was tracked to a car park in Lewes and officers attended and detained Knight as he returned to the vehicle from a supermarket.
He was arrested for a series of offences and once again was recalled to prison.
He appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on July 23 to answer charges in relation to the earlier offences.
He pleaded guilty and was conditionally bailed from court to await sentencing.
During this time, a further series of burglary reports were made to police.
On August 8, a property in Pelham Street was entered and items were stolen from an outbuilding.
The following day a man entered a supermarket in St James’s Street and stole food and drink as well as assaulted staff.
On August 10, a report was made that a man had broken into a home in Farm Hill, however the resident was inside and bravely chased him from the premises.
Lastly, five days later, a report was made that a vehicle had been entered and had items stolen in Valley Road, Portslade.
Following the review of CCTV, forensics and local enquiries, Knight was tracked down and arrested again on August 22.
Charges were authorised the following day for two counts of burglary, burglary other than a dwelling, theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle, assault, and theft from a shop.
He was remanded and recalled to prison for a third time.
At a hearing at Lewes Crown Court on Monday, September 22, Knight pleaded guilty to all the outstanding offences.
Knight has been remanded and is due to be sentenced on October 14.
Eight further offences committed in August involving Knight will also be taken into account by the judge. These offences include two further burglaries and three further thefts from vehicles.
Detective Constable James Botting said: “Knight was comfortable taking what was not his, repeatedly targeting different homes and small businesses in Brighton.
“His actions have had a significant impact on people’s lives, not only through the loss of their property but also the distress and disruption caused.
“We are pleased that following the overwhelming evidence against him, he has admitted his crimes, and we hope this brings some reassurance to the victims and the wider community.”
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