A burglar who raided Holdcroft Motor Group dealerships on two separate occasions has appeared before the judge at Stoke-On-Trent Crown Court.

The criminal was labelled "hapless" by his own defence counsel after the court heard that on one occasion he crashed the car he was trying to steal from the dealership's forecourt, and on the other occasion he dropped some of the cash he snatched and left crucial DNA evidence at the scene.

At Holdcroft Mazda in the city, Andrew Holland used a metal bar to break through a window and enter the showroom, where he grabbed £50 from an unsecured safe, the court was told.

But in his rush to leave he dropped some of the cash, left the metal bar behind and left spots of blood from a cut he sustained during the break-in.

Then, he broke into Holdcroft Renault just a few hundred metres away and swiped the keys to a Toyota Yaris parked on the forecourt, the court heard, but he drove the Yaris straight into a security bollard and had to abandon it and run off.

Again, he left blood spots at the scene.

Holland, aged 39, of London Road in Newcastle, admitted the offences plus another burglary of a shop, reports Stoke-On-Trent Live.

The court heard he was a habitual offender, with 27 previous convictions for 69 offences, and he was on licence from a previous prison sentence when he raided the dealerships. Once caught, he was recalled to prison.

Rashad Mohammed, mitigating, said: ‘His attempts ended very, very quickly. He is a hapless burglar. He left behind a trail of blood and footprints. It was very easy for the police to catch up with him."

After hearing all the evidence, Recorder Anthony Warner sentenced Holland to 12 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in prison with the rest on licence.

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