A MAN has been jailed for five years after burgling a house while he was on the run from an open prison.
Philip Kelly claimed he was a lookout during the raid, in which a car was stolen while a family slept.
The high-performance Audi had been "stolen to order" from the family's five-bedroom house in Glebe Avenue, Warsop, in the early hours of Tuesday, May 21, this year.
Burglars forced a kitchen window with a screwdriver and took camera equipment, a laptop, a sat-nav system, mobile phone and two sets of car keys.
"One set of keys related to the family's Audi A6 estate which was parked on the street," prosecutor David Allen told Nottingham Crown Court. "They stole the car and it hasn't been recovered."
On May 24 two female acquaintances of Kelly went to a Cash Generator shop to sell the stolen camera equipment. But the manager was suspicious and asked an assistant staff member to call police. The two females were arrested nearby with Kelly and a bag containing the camera equipment.
Kelly admitted he was responsible for the burglary and theft in Glebe Avenue.
"He said he went there with another male he wouldn't name, who he said he met in jail," explained Mr Allen. "He was asked to assist in the burglary with the aim of stealing the Audi parked outside.
"It was stolen to order by a third party and he [Kelly] said he acted as lookout as the other male used a screwdriver to get in."
Kelly had not even served half of a four-year sentence for burglary on March 30, 2012.
He did not return from day release to HM Prison Hatfield, South Yorkshire, because he missed the train. He stayed on the run for three weeks.
He committed this offence, three house burglaries and an attempted house burglary, which he asked to be taken into consideration.
Kelly was allowed to leave an open prison on the condition he returned.
Judge Michael Stokes QC said: "It's a matter of public concern that repeat burglars are allowed out of prison on this basis."
Kelly, 33, of no fixed address, had 46 previous convictions.
He pleaded guilty to burglary, receiving five years, and theft of the Audi, for which he was sentenced to two years concurrent.
