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A repeat burglar who targeted homes across Medway and Gravesend has been jailed for five and a half years.
Johnny Connors committed the offences across June and July 2019 and, during one of the break-ins, a woman was threatened with a knife before having a pillow placed over her head.
The twenty-five-year-old, of no fixed address, denied aggravated burglary and a second burglary which took place in June 2019, but admitted a further offence which occurred a month later.
He was found guilty of the first two matters following a trial and sentenced for all three crimes at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 20 November 2020.
He was also sentenced for several offences which took place in Essex and were dealt with by Essex Police.
Connors is one of three men who committed two burglaries during a 90-minute window on 20 June.
The first offence saw jewellery and cash stolen from a home in Temple Gardens, Strood, at around 5pm.
The victims were not in at the time of the offence however, a woman was inside a property in Walderslade Road, Chatham, which the offenders targeted that same evening.
The victim heard the men enter the address and, thinking it was a relative who had returned home, went downstairs to greet them.
She was then confronted by an offender on the staircase, who forced her back into her bedroom and threatened her with a knife.
A pillow was then placed over her head and she was held down by one of the men while the other two searched the address. They left with a quantity of jewellery, including a diamond engagement ring.
Privately held CCTV from nearby buildings placed Connors at the scene of both offences, however the co-offenders currently remain unidentified.
The final offence saw a home in Valley Drive, Gravesend, targeted on 13 July. A large amount of jewellery and cash was stolen from the home and Connors was identified from a glove mark which was found on a plastic tub inside a chest of drawers.
Detective Constable Dan Bister, from Kent Police’s Chief Constable’s Crime Squad, said: ‘Connors is one of three men who subjected a completely innocent woman to a terrifying ordeal inside her own home. The attack was cowardly and understandably left her in fear of her life.
‘The other two incidents, which saw more than £10,000 in property stolen, further emphasise his bad character and I have no doubt that if he were on the streets now, he would still be offending.
‘His sentence is a good result not only for the victims, but for anyone living in North Kent.’
