A bungling burglar who twice stole from his own Catford block of flats before taking police on a tour of his crime scenes has been jailed for a total of five years.

At Woolwich Crown Court this month, Maurice Cadogan, 48, admitted six burglaries including two at Milford Towers where he lived.

A Lewisham police analyst linked Cadogan to the string of burglaries across Rushey Green due to similarities in witness descriptions and the method used to break-in.

When officers turned up at his home, Cadogan invited them in and they immediately saw a black jacket with fluorescent lining, woolly hat and dark-rimmed glasses - identical to items seen by witnesses when their properties were burgled.

Cadogan admitted stealing bottles of alcohol and three watches from various properties near where he lived.

He happily admitted other burglaries and, on leaving his home, pointed out to police two other addresses he had targeted in Milton Towers, along with further homes in Brookdale Road and Silvermere Road which he had attempted to break into.

During a police interview, Cadogan admitted he also stole a laptop and several other items in order to buy drugs.

Investigating officer PC Jim Horan, from Operation Trilogy: "I am pleased that Cadogan has received a custodial sentence.

"There can be no mitigating circumstances, burglary has a huge impact on victims and reducing and preventing these offences are priorities for the borough. 

"Through good intelligence work we were able to establish that the person responsible was Cadogan and arrest him before he had the opportunity to commit any further burglaries."