A burglar hung around outside a home he was about to raid – but was caught on CCTV and has now been jailed for four years and four months.

Paul Godfrey 34, of Whitehawk Way, Brighton, already had a history of committing burglaries when he broke into a flat in Swanborough Drive, Brighton, on January 21 this year.

He took dozens of gold, silver and diamond rings worth thousands of pounds as well as a handbag containing cash.

Now Godfrey has been jailed alongside Paul Hayward and Oliver Peterson.

The three targeted homes in Brighton, Hove and Hastings before they were caught.

Hayward brazenly walked out of one home he had just burgled in The Drive, Hove, and past a mother and her ten-year-old son at 4pm on October 24.

The 44-year-old, of Edward Street, Brighton, escaped with an iPod, cash cards and a small quantity of money.

A week later, on the afternoon of November 1, he got into a flat in Preston Road, Brighton, and took cash and an iPhone 4.

Hayward admitted two counts of burglary and was jailed for two years and nine months when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court.

Oliver Peterson, 22, of no fixed address, was caught by officers running away from a shop that was being broken into in Hastings in the early hours of October 14.

Parked nearby was a Mitsubishi car that had been stolen during a burglary in Vicarage Road in the town in which a TV and wallets were also taken.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for two years..

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Betts said: "Each of the burglars was convicted because of good work by officers.

"In each case they did their initial inquiries so well that they were quickly able to identify who the offenders were, track them down and charge them.

"The sentences handed down by the courts reflect the impact that burglaries have on victims.

"We are determined to crack down on those who are intent on causing others misery by taking what is not theirs. We want to send a signal to burglars that Sussex is a no go area for them."