TWO prolific burglars staged a heist in a jewellers by smashing a hole through a roof and climbing through a loft hatch.

Jody Keating, of no fixed address, and Richard Sutton, of Portslade, set off the alarm at family jewellers Jewelworks in Montague Street, Worthing, then sneaked back later after the owner had checked the premises and left again.

They shimmied over a fence at the adjoining McDonald’s, smashed a hole in the roof and dropped through a loft hatch into the store.

Once inside, dressed in balaclavas, they used crow bars to smash open the cabinets and snatch £25,000 worth of jewels.

Police apprehended the duo in a van nearby. They had disguised some of the letters on the number plate with black tape.

Inside the van officers found gloves, balaclavas, saws, crow bars, shards of broken glass and a bag full of jewels.

Between them career burglars Keating and Sutton had committed more than 245 crimes. Yesterday at Hove Crown Court they were sentenced for their parts in the raid they carried out at about 2am on October 8.

Jonathan Edwards, prosecuting, said: “This was a professional burglary. The alarm was triggered and the owner attended. He found the loft hatch open he secured it and left the lights on when he left. Approximately three hours later a second alarm was triggered.

“The owner was able to remotely view the shop’s CCTV and he could see them wearing gloves and using crow bars to smash the display cabinets and placing items in a bag.

“When he attended accompanied by the police he found a hole where they had smashed through the roof into the attic space and also gone through the loft hatch

“Jewellery worth £25,000 had been stolen and they had caused as much again in damage.

“There was significant planning. There was a planned decision to disguise themselves and the vehicle.”

Keating, 43, who also admitted another raid on Southwick bar Pebbles On The Port on February 5 last year, in which £2,000 was taken from the till, wrote a grovelling letter to the judge pleading for leniency.

He said he blamed his 20-year heroin addiction for his criminal record of committing 199 previous burglaries, however he had initially denied the latest offences, before changing his pleas at the last minute.

Judge David Rennie, at Hove Crown Court, condemned their actions but handed Sutton a second chance, suspending his jail sentence.

He said: “Burglaries on small businesses can have a catastrophic effect on the finances and morale of individuals, ordinary people doing the best they can to provide for their families and provide a service for the local community.

“That can all be trashed by people like you invading their business. What you both did was selfish.”

Keating was jailed for three and a half years.

Sutton was given a two year sentence suspended for two years.

FACTFILE

Jody Keating, 43, of no fixed abode, was jailed three years for the burglary at Jewel Works - plus an extra six months for burglary at Pebbles on the Port in Southwick.

He originally denied the charges but later changed his plea. Under a different alias Robert Jody May he had a further 45 convictions for 199 offences. Thirty-seven for domestic burglaries.

Richard Sutton, 42, of Lincoln Parade, Portslade is also known by the nickname Mr Beefy.

He has 19 convictions for 45 offences - including eight convictions for burglaries including homes.

He has also asked courts to take into consideration a further 35 burglaries.

He pleaded guilty to the burglary at Jewel Works and was sentenced to two years suspended for two years.