A 33-year-old-man from Stevenage has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a burglary at a shop in Queensway, and the theft of a bicycle from a care worker.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Ben Horton, of Brent Court in Stevenage, broke into the WHSmith store in Queensway, stealing Xbox headsets, PlayStation controllers and vape pens from behind the till.

He was arrested yesterday and subsequently charged with burglary and handling stolen goods. At the time of his arrest, he was found in possession of a bicycle which had been previously stolen from a care worker.

Horton appeared at Stevenage Magistrates Court this morning where he pleaded guilty to both charges.

He was sentenced to nine months in custody, six months for the burglary – with a fine of £1,049.85 – and three months and £100 compensation for the bike.

Detective Sergeant Barry Townsend said: “I am pleased that we have had such a swift result following this crime and I hope it acts as a deterrent to anyone else thinking of taking advantage of the current situation.”

“Officers regularly patrol the town centre, both during the day and at night, however we would still urge local residents to report any suspicious activity they see around closed premises.”