Man jailed for Gosport burglaries

Gosport burglar Brett Coe-Quainton has been jailed for a year.

The 22-year-old, of Gale Moor Avenue in Gosport, broke into a garage on Kingston Road on Saturday 16 October.

Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard how police were called in the early hours of that morning to reports of a torchlight in the garage.

Officers attended and spoke to the garage owner, who confirmed he had not been the one shining the torch, and led police out to the location.

Banging could be heard from within the garage, and Coe-Quainton was located inside before being arrested. Nothing was stolen.

In an earlier separate incident, Coe-Quainton was spotted on CCTV trying to damage the lock on a CCTV cabinet in Burney House, South Street. He subsequently use a baton to damage a CCTV camera during this incident, which took place on on 29 July this year.

He was charged with criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon for this incident, and admitted both offences at a hearing on 11 November.

However, he denied the Kingston Road burglary at a hearing on 18 October, and the case subsequently went to trial.

He was found guilty of burglary by Magistrates and sentenced on Tuesday 16 November.

Coe-Quainton was handed 6 months in prison for possessing an offensive weapon, 2 months for the burglary, and a further 4 months for offending whilst on a suspended sentence for other matters, bringing his total jail term to 12 months.

In addition, he was ordered to pay £750 compensation for the burglary in Kingston Road.