Southampton teenager jailed for burglary, vehicle theft and fraud

A teenager from Southampton has been jailed for a series of offences including burglary and vehicle theft.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Southampton Youth Court on Monday, 23 January, for sentencing having pleaded guilty to two counts of dwelling burglary, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and two counts of fraud by false representation.

Between 8.30pm on 7 August 2021 and 8.45am on 8 August 2021, the teen entered a house in Bailey Close, Botley via the front door and stole the occupant’s handbag containing £125 in cash, house keys, car keys and drove off in her Citroen C5 car, which had been on the driveway.

When the victim went to cancel her bank cards, she was made aware of two fraudulent online transactions on eBay worth £18.50 and £31.99.

The vehicle was recovered in St Mary’s a month later and was being driven on cloned plates.

Between 1.45am and 2.52am on 9 August 2021, the teenager entered a house in Adelaide Road, Southampton, while the occupants were asleep upstairs and stole car keys, a laptop and a wallet and made off in their grey Kia car which was on the driveway.

The vehicle was recovered on 7 September, 2021.

The teenager was linked to these incidents when his phone was seized and examined on 12 October, 2021 in connection with another investigation.

Officers found videos and images on his phone showing him with the Citroen, describing it as a ‘fresh whip’ and driving the Kia ‘at 4.15 in the morning’.

Phone location data pinpointed its usage at the time and location of the burglaries.

It also showed had set up a fake eBay account in the name ‘John Smith’ on the day of the first burglary.

The boy was jailed for 12 months and was banned from driving for 18 months.

He was also handed an 18-month Criminal Behaviour Order which banned him from associating with seven named individuals and ordered him to abide by a curfew between 9pm and 6am when he is released back into the community.

Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, deputy district commander for Southampton, said: “This teenager has been a blight on our city and I am pleased to see the courts have recognised the harm he has caused our community.

“Giving children custodial sentences is uncommon in our justice system so I hope this sends out a message that we will tirelessly pursue the minority of young people who think they can commit these sort of crimes with little consequence.

“He filmed himself bragging about his actions – but he won’t find it so funny now he has been jailed.

“Hopefully his sentence will give him the opportunity to reflect on what he has done and set himself on the path to a brighter future.”

You can report burglaries and thefts of motor vehicles by calling 101 or visiting our website.

For advice on how to make your home and vehicle secure, click here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/