A BURGLAR who went on to commit a robbery wearing a Halloween mask within 24 hours of pleading guilty to five other crimes has been jailed.

Adrian Brown, of Robinson Road, Boars Hill, admitted on November 4 at Oxford Crown Court that he committed five offences in June last year.

The 33-year-old admitted burgling a house in Sandfield Road, Headington, a shed in Merewood Avenue, Sandhills, and a house in Southern Road, Thame. They were between June 8 and June 17 last year, and he stole electronics, bicycles and camera equipment worth a total of more than £17,800.

The father-of-three also admitted stealing an Audi TT worth £20,000 from the house in Southern Road and not paying for petrol at a county petrol station.

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The court heard a day after admitting his role in the burglaries, on November 5, Brown went to Reading and robbed a former colleague.

Judge Patrick Eccles was told that Brown put on a Halloween mask to disguise himself from Chanin Phunboonsyk, who he used to work with at Mercedes.

Sarah Gaunt, prosecuting, said he then threatened Phunboonsyk with a screwdriver to get the keys to his Mercedes Benz worth £35,000 and drove away, but was caught by police half an hour later.

In Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday, Brown admitted two counts of burglary; two of theft; one of burglary from a non-dwelling; one of robbery; and one of leaving without payment.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison with 18 months for the Oxford thefts and three years for the robbery in Reading.

Judge Eccles said: “You seem determined to obtain expensive motorcars through dishonesty and the threat of violence.

“You are a well-educated man, obviously loved by your family and previously well-thought of by your employers, but only a custodial sentence can be cast upon you.”

Brown’s accomplice in the June offences, Ashley Rees was handed 40 months in prison in September last year but Brown’s case was delayed until November this year.

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