A SERIAL offender has been jailed for stealing jewellery, phones and bikes from a home on Christmas Eve.
Colin O'Brien, of Penge Road in South Norwood, was jailed for six years, yesterday at Croydon Crown Court.
The 49-year-old was caught after police were alerted to his acting suspiciously in Penge on December 24 last year.
He was wheeling two pedal cycles and had asked to borrow a passing member of public's phone to call a mini-cab, even offering the man £10 to drive him to South Norwood.
He was stopped by police nearby and was found also to have on him a car key, jewellery, loose change, five mobile phones, gloves and other small items.
The items were eventually identified by the victim of a nearby residential burglary.
O'Brien has 40 convictions for 99 offences dating back to 1982.
He was last sentenced to three years' jail for burglary on July 14 2011 at Kingston Crown Court.
