After failing six times to break into homes at Wixams in the dead of night, Jamie Mann and an accomplice went to Kempston where they broke into a house while a couple were asleep and then stole two cars parked outside.
The couple woke to the sound of their cars being driven away and alerted the police.
Shortly afterwards police located the cars and a fingerprint found on the number plate of one of them was linked to Mann.
As a result the 27-year-old of Victoria Road, Bedford appeared at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, April 29, 2021, pleading guilty to six offences of attempted burglary and two counts of theft.
He asked for three offences to be taken into consideration Geoffrey Porter prosecuting told how in the early hours of June 26, 2020, the defendant and another man were in the area of Cadwell Drive and Harlequin Crescent, Wixams.
He said Mann was caught on CCTV systems trying six front doors of properties in the hope of gaining entry.
The court was told having failed to get in any property, Mann went to Kempston.
In Westminster Gardens at around 3am he and the other man managed to ‘pop’ the uVPC front door.
Inside the house while a couple were asleep upstairs, they took the keys to two vehicles parked outside, a laptop and two handbags.
Mr Porter said the pair then drive away a Fiat car and a Nissan vehicle.
They returned a short while later to collect their own vehicle which was parked near to the burgled property.
The court heard the couple had been woken by the cars being driven away and contacted the police who carried out a search of the area.
Not long afterwards police found both the stolen cars which had been abandoned.
Judge Lynn Tayton QC hearing the case was told a fingerprint belonging to Mann was discovered on one vehicle and lead to his arrest.
She was told Mann had committed the offences to fund his drug dependency.
Mann was given a three year jail sentence and told he would be freed at the half way stage on licence.
