A SERIAL thief who waged an eight-month crime campaign in railway car parks across the News Shopper area has been jailed for 20 months.

Paul Stone, aged 28, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to 26 counts of theft from motor vehicles.

A further 43 offences were also taken into consideration.

Detective Constable Jane Hill from British Transport Police said: “Stone smashed car windows to steal sat-navs, sunglasses, wallets, tobacco and on one occasion just two pounds sterling– pretty much anything which wasn’t fixed to the vehicle.”

Stone was caught on April 20 when two plain clothes officers making inquiries in a pawnbroker’s shop in Lee spotted him trying to sell jewellery.

Det Con Hill added: “He was arrested and was later linked to the further offences, which he admitted carrying out to raise money to feed his drug habit.

“Given the sustained nature of his offences, Stone was obviously willing to go to any lengths to steal to fund his drug taking.”

Stone struck at rail stations in Lee, New Eltham, Greenwich, Mottingham, Welling, Bexley and Chatham between August last year and April.

He caused around £3,760 in damage to vehicles.

Det Con Hill said: “Our message to commuters is to ensure they keep valuables like phones, sat-nav devices and the like out of sight or preferably not in the vehicle and to report to police anyone they see acting suspiciously in car parks.