A Brighton man has been jailed for 40 months after a five-week crime spree during which he stole from and burgled more than a dozen shops and businesses.
Jason Turner, 40, of The Crestway, in Hollingdean, headbutted one shopkeeper, in London Road, and was alleged to have threatened a Brighton and Hove taxi driver with a knife.
He stole goods worth thousands of pounds and caused damage costing thousands more to fix while leaving traders and employees distressed and traumatised.
At a sentencing hearing at Brighton Crown Court, Natasha Dardashti, prosecuting, said that Turner, a gas engineer and father of two, blamed unnamed Albanians, saying that he had acted under duress.
Turner even singled out a man on security camera footage that was shown to a jury during his trial at Chichester Crown Court, saying that he was one of the Albanians.
But detectives traced the man. He turned out to be an innocent passer-by who had never met Turner and came from Liverpool not Albania.
Most of the burglaries and thefts happened in Brighton over about three weeks in January and February last year although the first happened in Watford.
Turner broke in to Ocean Bells coffee shop, in Watford High Street, by kicking the door in at just after 5am, and stole the cash drawer and tips jar from the café. The cash drawer contained about £150.
The court was told that the break in triggered a smart security camera system which then tracked Turner as he made off through the town.
When arrested, he had £188 and two knives. He said that the cash was his benefits money and that he had gone out to meet prostitutes and smoke crack.
Jonathan Atkinson, prosecuting, told the jury at Turner’s trial at Chichester Crown Court: “Over a four-week period in January and February of 2023, Jason Turner went on a criminal spree in Brighton and Hove city centre.
“This included breaking into commercial properties in the early hours of the morning and stealing cash, phones, electrical items and even clothes.
“On other occasions, he would find an excuse to enter premises such as a pub or a hotel and, once on the premises, would take advantage of the situation to steal cash and electrical equipment.
“On two occasions, when he was confronted by staff members who were simply trying to do their job, he became threatening and violent.
“On one occasion, when a member of staff … tried to stop him from leaving with a stolen phone, the defendant threatened to slit his throat before then punching him and headbutting him.
“On another occasion, when a member of bar staff, who we say was working on their own trying to lock up a pub at closing time, tried to stop him from stealing from the till, the defendant threatened him, telling him that he was going to get hurt.
He is actually a brightonian? It says Brighton man…