Proceeds of crime hearing adjourned for 'professional' burglar Stephen Mainwaring, 51, of Stanton

Efforts to recoup as much as possible from what a Stanton man gained during a 30-month spree have been postponed due to a dispute over his assets.

Stephen Mainwaring, 51, of Shepherds Grove, Stanton, was jailed for six years in November 2017 at Ipswich Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to five offences of burglary and two of vehicle theft from homes in Ixworth, Stowlangtoft, Norton and Bury St Edmunds, and possessing a shotgun and ammunition without a certificate.

Following his arrest, Mainwaring co-operated with officers from the Suffolk Police Operation Converter team to identify a further 30 properties he had burgled in Stanton, Ixworth, Bardwell, Great Barton, Pakenham and Norton.

All the offences were committed between February 2015 and August 2017 and involved property to the value of more than £290,000.

Items stolen included cash, jewellery, silverware, cycles, tools, stamps, a Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Peugeot car.

When Mainwaring was jailed, Judge Rupert Overbury described him as a 'professional nighttime burglar' who targeted homes where owners were on holiday or out.

Mainwaring was arrested after police found traces of his DNA on tools at the scene of one of the burglaries.

On Wednesday, Mainwaring appeared at Ipswich Crown Court via a video link from HMP Wayland for what was intended to be a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The court heard specialist financial investigators had been working to establish what Mainwaring had gained from his offending, but there was a dispute with defence lawyers over what assets he owned and which could be confiscated.

Judge Overbury adjourned the hearing until the New Year, when evidence will be heard about Mainwaring's finances before a final confiscation figure is decided.