Prolific burglar from Feltham jailed after attempting to steal a van

Roy Rabbetts, born 22.08.82, of Hamilton Close in Feltham appeared at Kingston Crown Court last Friday (May 10) after pleading guilty to burglary, Surrey Police said. He was sentenced to 19 and a half months imprisonment.

On Wednesday, 18 October last year at around 2.15pm, Rabbetts entered a veterinary surgery in West Byfleet where he told staff he was there to carry out some work in the flat upstairs. Later that day he came down to the reception area. While staff were distracted, he stole a set of keys to one of the company vans from a drawer. He was then seen driving off in the vehicle, a spokesperson said.

Veterinary staff later received a call from their Chertsey branch saying that the van had been seen driving dangerously through the town, reversing into another vehicle.

Police then received calls from staff at a garden centre on Stoke Road in Cobham to say the van had been seen acting suspiciously in their car park, appearing to hide from police activity. CCTV from the garden centre showed the suspect to be Rabbetts, which was later confirmed by forensic evidence from the van.

Rabbetts was arrested for burglary along with several other offences in Teddington on Monday, 27 November last year.

Officer in charge of the case, PC Paul Finnegan, from the Neighbourhood Police Investigation Team, said: “It is reassuring to the victims involved and the wider community to see this prolific offender taken off the streets. This sort of behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect our communities.”