Crawley man pleads guilty to burglary after police enquiries fast-tracked his arrest

James Eastwood, 37, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis, obstructing police in the execution of their duty, theft from a motor vehicle, burglary with intent to steal, and using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress when he appeared before a judge.

He also pleaded not guilty to a further offence of causing grievous bodily harm, and has been further remanded on a trial – the date for which has not yet been set.

The news comes after Eastwood was detained by police on Ifield Road, in Crawley, on July 2. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said he was discovered leaning into a car which did not belong to him, and his eventual arrest was fast-tracked by police enquiries which revealed he was linked to a number of other offences.

Oli Robinson, of Crawley CID, said: “Theft from vehicles and burglaries are often a topic of discussion amongst local communities and social media, and we recognise the impact this has on victims. On this occasion, a proactive stop has quickly recovered items belonging to at least two different victims which can now be returned.”