A prolific Maidstone burglar who was identified on town centre CCTV by a local PCSO has been jailed
A prolific Maidstone burglar who was identified on town centre CCTV by a local PCSO has been jailed.
Charles Traverso was arrested after he was caught on camera breaking into a restaurant in Medway Street, where he stole alcohol and around £700 in cash. The burglary took place just before 8am on 11 January 2020. Traverso used a wooden plank to leverage a metal bar from a window and gain access. He put everything he stole into two bin liners, before loading the bags into a shopping trolley and heading back to his home, in Brenchley House, Week Street.
During the investigation a PCSO viewed CCTV footage of the break-in which showed the suspect repeatedly pulling up the waistband to his trousers. This was recognised as a particular habit of Traverso, who had previous convictions for burgling business premises. He was arrested on 16 January and later charged with burglary.
At Maidstone Crown Court an additional burglary charge was added after the 44-year-old was also linked to a break-in at a takeaway in Sandling Road, on 13 January. Traverso pleaded guilty to both offences and on Thursday 18 June was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
Inspector Mark Hedges, of the Maidstone Community Safety Unit, said: ‘Local knowledge can often be key to tracking down known offenders such as Traverso, which is one of the reasons why our PCSOs are so invaluable to the communities they serve. Traverso is fully deserving of a custodial sentence. He is a repeat offender who clearly cares very little about the impact his actions have on hardworking shop owners and businesses, who are left out of pocket and having to foot the bill for repairs.’
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