Man caught stealing from cars in Hastings was found carrying ammunition

In the early hours of September 5, a resident in Willowbed Walk, Hastings, was alerted by a security light and spotted an unknown man entering his neighbour’s car, police said.

He dialled 999, and officers located a man matching the description of the suspect nearby shortly afterwards. He was identified as Mark Lewis, 39, of no fixed address, added police.

According to police, Lewis was found in possession of items including cash, two torches, a bank card in someone else’s name and a quantity of ammunition.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with theft by finding, going equipped for theft, possession of ammunition without a certificate and two counts of vehicle interference, police said.

At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday (December 12), Lewis was sentenced to eight weeks’ imprisonment and ordered to pay costs of £85. Magistrates took the seriousness of the offences and his recent history of offending into account during sentencing, police said.

Julie Maley, of the Hastings Investigations Team, said: “Motorists are reminded to keep the doors of the vehicles locked when unattended, and to keep belongings – especially expensive items such as sunglasses – out of sight. Preferably, do not keep any valuables in your vehicle at all.

“Without a resident acting on their suspicions and reporting this to us, we would not have caught Lewis and he may have continued his criminal activities, rather than spending the next few weeks in prison.

“Sussex Police needs the help of the public to catch criminals, and people are urged to report incidents such as this to us immediately, as sometimes there are no other lines of enquiry for us to investigate.”

If you witness a crime in action, call 999. Or, if you have information which could assist us in an investigation, you can report it online or call 101.