A ROUTINE stop check led to a Chesham man being jailed for 14 months for stealing a car after a burglary on New Year's Day.

Officers found 29-year-old Sajid Mahmood in possession of car keys he had stolen after breaking into a house in Brays Lane, Hyde Heath, during a random check.

Mahmood, of Batchelors Way, stole a BMW car, jewellery, laptop computers and other electrical items during the break-in on the evening of Sunday January 1.

In the early hours of the following day uniformed response officers from Amersham carried out a routine stop-check of a car in St. Mary’s Way, Chesham, in which Mahmood was a passenger, where he was found with the keys he had stolen.

He was arrested and charged with burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.

Mahmood denied the charges but was convicted after a two day trial at Amersham Crown Court.

He was jailed for 14 months for the burglary and given another concurrent 14 month sentence for the theft of the motor vehicle on Wednesday 18.

Investigating officer Det Con Carl Wilson said: "I hope the sentence will help deter others and send out a clear message that such offending behaviour will not be tolerated."