A BURGLAR who went on a crime spree across Croydon and Bromley, including breaking into schools and Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park, has been jailed for two years.
David Foster, 32, was given the sentence at Croydon Crown Court yesterday (October 29) after admitting to 18 non-residential burglaries across the borough and Bromley between July 17 and August 19 this year.
Foster, of no fixed abode, was caught when he was linked by forensic evidence to a burglary at a Salvation Army building in Bromley on July 30.
He was originally charged with that and five other burglaries though detectives managed to link Foster to other the other burglaries through further forensic and CCTV evidence.
He stole alcohol from a catering box at Selhurst Park on July 7 and continued on his spree until August 19, mainly stealing cash or electrical items, such as laptops, DVD players and cameras.
Many of his burglaries were at shops and restaurants in Westow Street and the Crystal Palace Triangle area in August.
Foster also targeted a number of schools, burgling two Harris Academy schools in Beckenham and South Norwood, Cypress Junior school in South Norwood, the Phil Edwards Centre in Upper Norwood and Ravensbourne school in Hayes Lane, Bromley.
Detective Constable Drew Dunmill, one of the officers from the forensic conversion team based at Croydon, the unit that carried out the investigation, said:
"Foster targeted shops, business premises and schools over the summer months and along with the value of the goods or cash that he stole, he also caused several thousand pounds worth of damage to the premises.
"He was extremely prolific and was responsible for a big proportion of non-residential burglaries in the Bromley and Croydon area over the summer.
"A number of my colleagues worked on this case and thanks to their efforts, Foster was convicted of 18 burglaries and will be behind bars for a considerable period, which will be reassuring for the local community and those affected."
