A serial burglar who has been breaking into people's homes since he was a child is back behind bars.
Lee Regan was first convicted of burglary when he was just 15 and despite only being 21 he has already racked up 44 convictions, including for robbery and driving offences.
Newcastle Crown Court heard it was around 7.30am on December 6 last year that his latest victim woke up to find his home in South Gosforth, Newcastle, had been broken into. Regan had taken his car keys and stolen his Audi A1 from outside.
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He had also stolen the man's partner's handbag, which contained her bank cards and £25 cash. He made three attempts to use the stolen cards at two petrol stations and a cashpoint.
Police checked CCTV from one of the petrol stations and recognised him. His DNA was also found on a face mask in the stolen car when it was recovered.
Another driver had seen the Audi driving at speed and it lost control and slid into a parked vehicle before it scraped his car as it squeezed through a gap after he stopped. Regan then parked up and ran off.
The court heard Regan, of Etal Lane, Newbiggin Hall, Newcastle, committed his first house burglary as a 15-year-old in 2016. He has numerous driving offences on his record and carried out a commecial burglary in 2018.
In 2019 he was given a two year detention and training order for his second house burglary and he then got the same sentence for two counts of robbery. Later that year he got another two year detention and training order for breaking into a house for a third time and for his fourth conviction for burglary in 2021 he was given 30 months in a young offenders institution plus six months for aggravated vehicle taking.
For his latest offending, he admitted burglary, driving while disqualified, theft of the car and two counts of fraud. He also asked for a burglary of a garage to be taken into consideration.
Regan was jailed for three years and will be banned from driving for two years when he is released.
Recorder James Wood KC told him that burgling people's homes does "real harm", adding: "The insecurity your conduct causes to people is absolutely enormous and life-enduring. People will live forever with that kind of experience."
Tony Cornberg, defending, said Regan had been doing courses in prison.
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