A man who burgled a church and stole a bike from an Ealing street has been jailed.
Brian Harding, 44, of Western Avenue, Ealing, pleaded guilty to burglary at Isleworth Crown Court on May 18 and was sentenced to one year and four months' imprisonment, a police statement said.
He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of theft of a pedal cycle for which he was sentenced to three months' imprisonment, to run consecutively.
On May 4 just after 5pm, Harding entered the Polish Catholic Church in Windsor Road, Ealing. The church was open to the public but the gallery was closed and access was blocked by a locked metal slatted gate.
Harding was seen on CCTV to squeeze through the locked gate and get into the gallery, police said.
He searched the gallery for around 20 minutes before taking a laptop which was on a pew. He was then seen on CCTV to walk out of the church with the laptop.
Harding was identified from CCTV and arrested and charged on May 7. He pleaded guilty at court.
Harding also pleaded guilty to theft of a pedal cycle. On October 1 last year, a 32-year-old woman secured her bike in Gunnersbury Avenue, Ealing, but when she returned the bike was gone.
CCTV was viewed which showed Harding taking the bike. He was identified and arrested on November 11 and charged on December 10.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Constable Richard Thomas said: “The sentence handed down today will ensure our communities are protected from further offending by Harding.
"We will continue to target those responsible for burglary and theft across the borough.”
