A prolific thief has been sentenced to eight years in prison after a series of burglaries and thefts, including stealing more than £10,000 worth of perfume and breaking into a home in Dartford.
Gary Parks, 35, of Okehampton Crescent in Welling, was found guilty of multiple crimes, including house burglary, shop burglary, theft of motor vehicles, and receiving stolen property.
The crime spree began on April 3 when an Audi and a Mercedes were stolen from Wilmington after the homeowner discovered that car keys had been taken from inside their house. Investigators found that Parks and his associates used a hire vehicle to travel to the scene.
On April 12, Parks, along with two accomplices, stole £6,400 worth of perfume from Boots on Sevenoaks High Street. The men entered the shop, filled rucksacks with perfume, and fled.
In the early hours of June 4, Parks and his accomplices forced their way into a Savers store on Dartford High Street, stealing £3,300 worth of perfume. The group arrived in a Land Rover Discovery, which they used to force entry through the shop doors.
Parks was eventually tracked down and arrested in Plumstead on June 18. Last month, he pleaded guilty to a range of offences, including house burglary, shop burglary, two thefts of motor vehicles, theft from a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property, and theft from a shop.
Detective Constable Emma Laimbeer of the Kent Crime Squad praised the team’s efforts in bringing Parks to justice, noting that his actions had a significant impact on both private individuals and businesses.
Parks is a prolific offender who targeted a victim’s home overnight to steal car keys, without considering the impact this would have on those who live at the address,” said DC Laimbeer. Furthermore, he had no regard for the financial impact on businesses from losing large amounts of valuable stock. The cost of repairing the damage to the doors of one of the premises should also not be underestimated.
The Kent Crime Squad, dedicated to tackling the county’s most persistent criminals, pieced together evidence to identify Parks and tracked him to a property in south London.
North Kent will be a safer place now he is behind bars,” DC Laimbeer added.
With Parks in prison, businesses and residents in the area can feel reassured that a repeat offender is no longer a threat to their safety and security.
