A LANDLORD has told how a burglar with 200 crimes under his belt could have ruined his business.

Career criminal Jody Keating was captured on CCTV sneaking behind the bar at Pebbles On The Port in Southwick.

Keating can be seen in the footage creeping in through the back and rooting around under the bar as he looked for valuables to steal.

The thief then tried to grab an RNLI collection tin off the counter but, finding it tied down, moves on.

He disappears out of shot as he continues to search the rest of the bar.

But after being alerted by the alarm going off, the owner’s son Tony Brown arrived and disturbed Keating, sending him running from the scene.

A sum of £2,000 was taken from the till during the break-in on February 5 last year.

Keating has now been jailed for the break-in.

Owner Colin Brown said he was pleased to see Keating behind bars for the crime – but said the bar would struggle to recoup the loss as it was more than it typically took in a week during the winter.

He added: “It’s difficult for businesses to keep going at the best of times.

“I’m glad to see he’s been caught.

“It’s very disheartening to have your business targeted in this way.

“Luckily he was caught on our CCTV.

“The CCTV was really clear.

“He had been trying the doors all the way along the road and finally decided he could smash into ours in the early hours of the morning.

“We don’t keep much money on the premises overnight so it was just the float from the till.”

Barmaid Jody Gardner who arrived moments after the break-in and saw Keating getting away in a car, took a picture of the vehicle, helping police catch him.

She said: “We won’t get that money back and it’s a lot for us.

“We don’t even make that much money in a week in the winter.

“On a personal level it really affects you when something like this happens.

“But he will probably be straight back out and doing it again in a few months’ time.”

Last Thursday, Keating, of no fixed address, was jailed six months at Hove Crown Court for the break-in at Pebbles.

This was added to another three years for a raid on Worthing jewellers Jewelworks.

Prosecutor Jonathon Edwards said that Keating had only been out of prison three months following a previous conviction at the time of the offences.

Keating denied the break-in but was found guilty in his absence after he refused to appear in court.

Under the alias Robert Jody May he has 45 other convictions for 199 offences, 37 for domestic burglaries.

Defending Keating, Duncan Cooke said he had been an entrenched heroin addict for 20 years.

Mr Cook said his client had promised to go into residential rehab upon release from prison.