A homeless burglar-on-the-run has been jailed for stealing a kayak and trying to paddle the channel for a new life in France.
Paul Redford, 46, of no fixed abode, was rescued a mile into the English Channel voyage by the RNLI.
Redford, a trialist for the English homeless football team, had broken into a holiday chalet in Camber, cooked food for himself and spent the night there.
The next morning he spotted the kayak outside the holiday home and decided to make a bid for France with only a child's life jacket for safety.
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Police were called over concerns Redford might be trying to kill himself when he was spotted paddling out to sea.
He admitted to the RNLI crew he had stolen the tiny vessel from a house in Camber to try to reach France.
Redford was wanted for thefts in Northumberland dating back to 2011.
Judge Howard Crowson jailed him for two years and five months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one of burglary, at Teeside Crown Court yesterday.
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