TWO burglars who stole a Mercedes car after "trashing'' a family home have been handed prison sentences.
Josh Lakin (23), of Musgrave Park Court in Belfast, was jailed for 18 months to be followed by the same period on supervised licence.
Aaron Kingston Trotman (24), of Plantation Road, Lisburn, was sentenced to 16 years behind bars and 16 months on licence.
The men, who both appeared via videolink from prison, had pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage and burglary.
Lakin further admitted failing to report and failing to remain at the scene of an accident and having no insurance, while Trotman also pleaded guilty to assault on a police sergeant at his arrest.
It was the prosecution case that on October 7 2019, the stolen Mercedes they were in was involved in a minor collision with a Volkswagen Golf in Pound Street, Larne.
Downpatrick Crown Court heard that as Lakin and Trotman fled the scene, the driver of the Golf took a picture of the Mercedes which was later circulated on social media.
Lakin was identified by police as the driver and a former prison officer later identified Trotman as his passenger.
Police traced the car to an address at Kiln Grove in Larne where the occupants said that as well as stealing the car and "trashing of a number of rooms'', two gaming consoles were taken along with a laptop, iPad, keys, private documents, cash and suitcases.
Later that day police on foot patrol in Castlereagh Street in east Belfast tried to stop the stolen Mercedes but it made off.
An hour later Lakin and Trotman were spotted by residents on Killyleagh Road in Downpatrick, Co Down, where it appeared that the Mercedes had broken down.
Suspicions were aroused when it was later found to be on fire.
A man in his 80s living on Killyleagh Road heard glass smashing at his home and discovered a male "hanging through the window near the TV'', before making off.
Judge Geoffrey Miller said he is now in a residential care home with dementia but police were told the incident had a "profound affect'', with the pensioner having "many sleepless nights and being disturbed'' by what happened.
After a "protracted search operation'' involving a PSNI helicopter and dog handlers, the men were located around midnight hiding in bushes.
The judge said Trotman had 75 previous convictions, including 12 for burglary, while Lakin had 86.
He said "there can be no doubt of an immediate custodial sentence''.
In a separate case at Belfast Crown Court today, Lakin pleaded guilty to the theft of a Renault Megane car and the attempted theft of BMW in August 2018 and was sentenced to nine months in jail, to run concurrent to Judge Miller's sentence.