A CROOK pretended to need to use the toilet to gain entry to a house from which he stole cash and personal documents.
Graham Keeley has now been sentenced to 10 weeks in prison and fined £560 for his crimes.
The 38-year-old knocked on the door of the house in Clifton Road, Worthing, on New Year’s Day asking to use the bathroom.
But, once inside, he swiped the personal documents and cash.
The owner of the house later discovered they were missing and reported this to police.
Two days later, officers patrolling in Brighton Road spotted Keeley, who was also wanted on recall to prison and for shoplifting.
When officers approached him, the thug pretended to be ill. But, realising this plan was doomed to fail, he then lunged at one of the officers causing minor injuries.
He was arrested and charged with receiving stolen goods and assault of an emergency worker, alongside two counts of theft from a shop and one count of attempted theft from a shop.
He appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ court on January 4 and was given a 10 week custodial sentence, a compensation order of £475, £85 in court costs.
A restraining order against the victim was also granted.
The Argus has previously reported that Keeley, of no fixed address, let his legs hang out of the driver’s door on board a train in Shoreham after assaulting the conductor in October last year.
He admitted nine new crimes when he appeared before Crawley Magistrates’ Court and was jailed for a total of 46 weeks.
The offences included two attacks on a woman, an assault on a police officer, possessing cannabis and multiple thefts.
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