THE victim of a burglary in Lower Weybourne Lane has slammed the three year jail sentence handed to a prolific thief after confessing to the crime at Guildford Crown Court.

A judge heard Daryl Vase, 25, from Guildford, had only been released from prison four days before he broke into the Jackson family home between 1.30pm and 4pm on February 13, making off with a haul of jewellery and the keys to a silver Mercedes C220 AMG.

Just minutes after the break-in Vase’s victims, builder Darren Jackson and his son, got quite a shock as they were driving along The Street in Tongham and saw the £12,000 Mercedes owned by Darren’s son coming towards them and being driven by the crook.

Mr Jackson, the owner of DS Jackson Construction, did a “double take” and tried to give chase but lost the Mercedes in traffic and, worried for the safety of his dogs, returned home.

When they arrived they discovered the thieves had smashed through their rear bi-fold patio doors and ransacked every room of their house, emptying draws and stealing jewellery, several small electrical items and both sets of keys to his son’s car.

He called Surrey Police and forensics officers came out later that night to search for evidence.

Unfortunately for Vase, the eagle-eyed officers spotted a drop of blood on a chest of drawers in Darren’s daughter’s bedroom. After testing, this was found to match Vase’s DNA and the serial offender was arrested on February 22.

Darren believes Vase must have been rummaging through the drawers when he pricked himself on one of his daughter’s sewing needles, leaving behind the incriminating drop of blood.

The homeowner credits the police for their quick response and attention to the detail, but is scathing of the sentence handed down by the court.

Darren told the Herald after Vase’s sentencing: “I went to the police station on the Monday morning before the hearing and the police were hoping for about five or six years because it’s Vase’s fifth offence and he’d only been out of prison for four days.

“He was given three years, but he’ll be out in 18 months won’t he.”

Darren added his family is yet to recover any of their stolen items, his son’s Mercedes included.

But there was some good news, when his granddad’s and uncle’s treasured Second World War medals initially believed to have been taken were discovered some weeks later hidden elsewhere in his house.

“It’s made me more vigilant,” he added. “We have got CCTV cameras up now, and a lot of people around us and friends have all gone out and bought cameras. Maybe I wasn’t very security-conscious before, but you always think it’s never going to happen to you.”

PC Chris Laughton added after Vase’s sentencing: “Vase is a prolific burglar who had only recently been released from prison before committing this offence. Due to the quick response from the attending police and scenes of crime officer, his forensic DNA was captured which lead to his arrest.

“We are cracking down on burglary across the borough and have dedicated teams who are using covert and overt tactics to prevent and detect this crime which causes so much misery for anyone that’s been a victim.

“We’re pleased with the sentence handed out to Vase and I hope the residents of Farnham will be reassured that we are catching burglars, charging them and putting them before the courts to face justice.”