A PROLIFIC burglar only recently released from prison has been sentenced to a further three years behind bars after pleading guilty to a Farnham break-in at Guildford Crown Court.

The court heard on Monday, March 26 that Daryl Vase, 25 from Pond Meadow in Guildford, entered a house in Lower Weybourne Lane between 1.30pm and 4pm on February 13 and stole a quantity of jewellery as well as the keys to a silver Mercedes C220 AMG and the car.

As reported by the Herald shortly after the offence, the victims of the break-in got quite a shock as they were driving through Tongham and saw the Mercedes, owned by the homeowner Darren Jackson’s son, coming towards them and being driven by an unknown man.

Mr Jackson tried to give chase but lost the vehicle in traffic, and when they arrived back home they discovered their house had been ransacked and treasured items stolen including his granddad’s and uncle’s Second World War medals.

Vase was identified through a forensic hit from blood found at the scene and arrested on February 22.

PC Chris Laughton said: “Vase is a prolific burglar who had only recently been released from prison before committing this offence. Due to the quick response from the attending Police and Scenes of Crime Officer, his forensic DNA was captured which lead to his arrest.

“We are cracking down on burglary across the borough and have dedicated teams who are using covert and overt tactics to prevent and detect this crime which causes so much misery for anyone that’s been a victim.

"We’re pleased with the sentence handed out to Vase and I hope the residents of Farnham will be reassured that we are catching burglars, charging them and putting them before the courts to face justice.”

Everyone can play their part in reducing burglary, sometimes just locking doors and windows can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to opportunist thieves.

Keep your belongings safe by following the below tips. You will find more burglary prevention advice on the Surrey Police website.

* Lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house

* Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight and away from the letterbox

* Install dusk to dawn outside lighting

* Secure bikes at home by locking them to an immoveable object

* Keep ladders and tools stored away; don’t leave them outside

* Mark your property with a forensic marking product such as SelectaDNA, and register your belongings with Immobilise.com.