Armed serial thief jailed after one of his victims helped track him down when he broke into his Jaguar car

Mark McManus, 24, who was wearing high-vis jacket, smashed the side windows of a Jaguar, a BMW and a Ford Fiesta which were parked in the Thornhill area of Sunderland, on March 21 and helped himself to what he could find inside the vehicles.Newcastle Crown Court heard the owner of the Jaguar was alerted by a neighbour that she had spotted someone outside was tampering with parked cars in the early morning.

When he went out to investigate, he discovered both his driver and passenger windows had been smashed and property, including a watch and wallet, had been stolen from inside.

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told the court: "He quickly got into his wife's car and searched the area. He found the male, the defendant, nearby.

"He saw the defendant drop a large knife, approximately 12 inches with a gold handle, then saw him pick the knife up again and put it behind his back."

The court heard the victim, who had contacted the police, saw McManus smash the passenger window of a BMW using the base of the knife.

Mr Pallister added: "He lost sight of him but the police arrived and he pointed officers in the direction the defendant had gone."

The court heard police quickly tracked down McManus, who was carrying the knife in his waistband, was wearing the stolen watch and was still in possession of the other items he had taken.

Mr Pallister said the Jaguar owner was left "annoyed, stressed and frustrated" by what happened.

McManus, of no fixed address, who has a criminal record and was on a community order imposed in February, admitted three charges of theft from vehicles and one of having a bladed article.

Judge Edward Bindloss sentenced him to eight months behind bars.

The judge told him: "You were given an opportunity in February and you failed to take it. You committed these offences during the course of a community order, with which you were not engaging well and your previous convictions aggravate your position."

Annalisa Moscordini, defending, said McManus had previously been "quite well known" in the Sunderland area as a city centre beggar.

Miss Moscordini added: "He was effectively homeless. He has had a very difficult early life. His mother died when he was young and he has no real family to speak of."

Miss Mocordini said McManus wants to work with the authorities to help address his issues, has a supportive partner and is capable of keeping out of trouble.

She added: "He wasn't using the weapon to threaten people. He was using the knife to open car doors or smash the windows.

"He is trying to get his life back together."