Police are hailing the arrest and conviction of a prolific burglar who was responsible for more than 70 burglaries in the Brentford and Chiswick area.

18 year old Craig Sleight-Adams appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on 6th August 2004 charged with residential night time burglary and breach of a Drug treatment and testing order (DTTO ).

The DTTO resulted from an appearance in March when he had previously been charged with residential burglary and going equipped for burglary. During that court appearance he asked for some 64 other burglaries to be taken into consideration, 62 of which were residential premises.

On his return to court Sleight-Adams asked for a further 11 offences to be taken into consideration. Sleight-Adams had failed to register on the first day of his release at his bail hostel, and had subsequently failed to attend any testing appointments. It was pointed out by the prosecutor in this case that the defendant had committed some 8 offences in the week after he was issued his DTTO, and that the total value of property taken during his offences was well in excess of £100,000.

In summing up, His Honour Judge Higgins stated that Sleight-Adams was a menace, and that even by the standards of Isleworth Crown Court this case was remarkable. The judge further stated that the crimes which had been committed struck at the fabric of society. With regard to the age of the defendant in this case, and given that the majority of these crimes had been committed by him before he turned 18 years old, a sentence of 2 years and 6 months was passed on Sleight-Adams. Having served 6 weeks on remand, this now means that Sleight-Adams will serve a full year before he is released.

A spokesperson for the police said, "Craig Sleight-Adams has proved to be a prolific burglar and a blight on the Borough of Hounslow, a custodial sentence would appear to be the only viable method of stopping him from ruining the live of many more people. Adams was given the opportunity to avoid a custodial sentence but chose to ignore the court's ruling and continued with his criminal activities. Hounslow officers have worked hard for this result and are please that Sleight-Adams is now serving a term of imprisonment."