A 14-year-old burglar from Whitehawk was caught by police as he hid next to a bed after breaking into a house in the small hours of the morning.
The boy pleaded guilty to burgling three homes in five days last week when he appeared before Brighton magistrates yesterday (Monday 27 July).
He also admitted having a knife in a public place, in Henley Road, Whitehawk, on Saturday (25 July) and going equipped to steal a car in Downland Close, Woodingdean, in March.
The teenager was remanded on bail for sentencing at Worthing Youth Court on Thursday 20 August.
Sussex Police said that the boy was “found by police officers lying next to a bed in a stranger’s home” in Henley Road just after 3.30am on Saturday.
The force said: “The intruder had been seen by an occupant of the house searching bedrooms with a torch and, when officers arrived, he was found lying by the side of a bed.
“In his possession, he had items identified as belonging to the victim, including bank cards, a phone, an iPad and headphones. He was also in possession of a knife and a screwdriver.”
He was arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and having a knife and his home was searched.
Police found items stolen from the victims of burglaries earlier in the week, including break ins in Burlington Street, Kemp Town, and Robert Lodge, in Whitehawk Road, Brighton.
The stolen items included electronic devices such as gaming consoles, phones and iPads, as well as cash and cigarettes.
Detective Inspector Ian Still said: “While we have been able to return a lot of the property stolen during these burglaries, this doesn’t take away from the distress experienced by the victims.
“We are grateful to each of them for the information they have provided to us, which helped us gather enough evidence to charge the boy and to secure the guilty pleas.
“We are pleased the boy is being held accountable for his unacceptable actions.
“We will not tolerate behaviour of this kind and will continue to respond to and investigate reports of burglary in our community.”
