A man who was caught red-handed stealing property from an east-end house in St. John's has been given a five-year jail term.
The sentence was handed down to Aaron Michael Burt Friday afternoon at provincial court in St. John's.
The 25-year-old was arrested Oct. 15 following a break-in on Eastbourne Crescent, off Paddy Dobbin Drive.
The homeowner told police when he arrived home at 2 a.m., he saw a man in his hallway with an armful of his property. The homeowner held the man until the police arrived.
Police also say Burt had been driving a stolen car, which contained items from a house on Gleneyre Street, off Torbay Road.
Burt pleaded guilty to several charges, including three counts of break and enter, assaulting the homeowner, theft of a car, possessing stolen property and breaches of court orders.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Greg Brown pointed to Burt's lengthy criminal record, which includes more than 20 break and enter convictions.
Burt, who was denied bail last month, was given 54 days' credit for the time he's spent in custody.
rgillingham@thetelegram.com Twitter: @TelyCourt
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