A TEENAGER has been sentenced for robbery, burglary and taking cars.

A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced today for two years and six months in a youth detention centre after burgling houses and stealing cars before attacking local businesses.

The boy from Southampton, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, four counts of taking vehicles without consent, attempted commercial burglary and an armed robbery.

He admitted to breaking into houses, taking people’s cars, and then using them to attack local businesses between February 10 and 11, 2019.

He also pleaded guilty to taking vehicles without consent relating to incidents on October 23, 2018 where a BMW was taken from an address in Sycamore Road and January 9, 2019 when a Volkswagen Touran was taken from a home in King Georges Avenue.

Between February 10 and 11, the boy burgled a house on Beaulieu Close overnight between.

He forced entry through the conservatory windows and took a blue Vauxhall Astra. A Renault Clio was also taken.

The Clio was used later in the early hours of February 11 in an attempt to burgle the Premier Stores on Viney Avenue in Romsey.

The vehicle was rammed into the store front to get access.

The car had caused enough damage to get inside, however due to extra security round the tobacco and tills, nothing was stolen.

The Clio was later recovered by the police.

Over the same evening, the boy was involved in a burglary at a home on Colebrook Avenue, Southampton and stole a Mercedes.

At 6.13am on February 11, the teenager committed armed robbery at McColls on Longstock Crescent in Totton.

It was reported a group entered the store armed with mallets and stole the contents of the safe which was estimated at more than £2000 in cash.

The Mercedes which had been stolen hours earlier was used a getaway vehicle, and later discarded and recovered by police.

Detective Constable Lisa Robins from the Western Investigation Team based at Southampton Central said: “This young boy was trying to be organised in his crime spree, stealing cars from houses, using them in crimes to get fast cash and cigarettes and then dumping the hard-earned property of others when he was done, thinking they had left no trace.

“People had their houses broken to and their cars stolen, and people were threatened with weapons at the their place of work.

"But we were able to link the teenager to his crimes and put him before the courts to get justice for the victims today. Burglary, theft, robbery, these crimes have a lasting effect on people and communities and we are committed to tackling them.”