Judge tells burglar ‘you’re not very good at it’ after he was caught

A judge told a burglar ‘you’re not very good at crime’ after he was caught in a car he had stolen.

Shaquille Campbell, 26, has been involved in stealing since he was 12 years old and he has been busted on multiple occasions.

While being sentenced on Tuesday for his latest thieving spree, a judge told him: ‘You have been a criminal for more than half of your life.

‘It has been said that you felt bad for what you did but it didn’t stop you.

‘You need to turn your face away from a life of crime because you are not very good at it.’

Maidstone Crown Court heard how Campbell stole a Porsche Macan worth £26,000 from a house in Cheam, Surrey, last September. When it was eventually found, his DNA was identified.

That same month, he raided a house in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, and took a TV, Dyson vacuum cleaner, soundbar, PlayStation and headphones.

Less than a month later, he broke into a house in Richmond, Surrey. When he was confronted by the homeowners, he pushed the woman aside while she phoned the police.

He told her husband ‘stay calm, don’t move’ before demanding the keys to their £38,000 BMW.

Campbell then drove off with stolen clothes, including a collection of knitted baby garments meant for Ukrainian refugees.

The last house he burgled before being caught was in Sevenoaks, Kent, which he targeted while the family who lived there was on the morning school-run.

Campbell broke in by smashing the patio doors, before he ransacked the property and ran down the road carrying a laundry basket.

He wrecked the house, leaving so many clothes lying around that the victim was unable to see the floor, she later told police.

Campbell, from north London, was eventually caught when police spotted him behind the wheel of the BMW he had stolen in October.

Officers noticed false plates on the car and chased him, but Campbell sped through heavy rain, lost control and crashed.

The criminal had been released from a three-year stint in jail for stealing just a few months earlier, the court heard.

Campbell’s defence lawyer said his client wished to apologise for his ‘inexcusable thieving’.

Detective constable Celia King said: ‘Campbell is a prolific criminal who stole high value cars and designer clothing during burglaries, turning violent when disturbed by some of his victims.

‘His driving when seeking to evade arrest put other road users at considerable risk of harm and he deserves to be in jail.’

After being found guilty of burglary, robbery and dangerous driving, he was jailed for seven years and eight months.

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