BOURNEMOUTH'S most prolific car crime offender has been jailed after breaking into the wrong car and straight into a police trap.

Graham Hill, 24, held his hands up to smashing his way into 55 cars after police caught him red-handed stealing a satellite navigation system from a car they had left in Harvey Road, Bournemouth, on a sting operation on July 15.

The incident was caught on a hidden camera in the car, and officers arrested him two days later in his Queensland Road home, Bournemouth Magistrates Court heard.

Prosecutor Tom Garnham said: "He admitted to being an opportunist thief, stating he just couldn't help himself.

"He said, I've got itchy fingers'."

Hill went round Bournemouth with officers, showing them where he had broken into cars mainly to steal satellite navigation systems and telling them what technique he used to smash the windows.

Mr Garnham estimated Hill had taken equipment worth at least £10,000, not including the damage to the vehicles, and said his co-operation with the police had enabled a lot of crimes to be cleared up.

He broke in to all but one of the vehicles this year.

Hill, who has a number of previous convictions, pleaded guilty to one count of stealing a satellite navigation system from the sting car and asked for a further 55 to be taken into consideration.

Todd Twine, defending, praised Hill for helping the police clear up unsolved crime and told justices his client wanted to be jailed.

Magistrates gave him a four-month custodial sentence.

Following the case, Detective Sergeant Neil Phillips, of Bournemouth police, said this is the third prolific offender jailed after being caught in similar sting operations and Hill has confessed to the most offences of the three.

"We target the offenders through intelligence and through investigation," he said.

"We will look at who we believe is committing the crimes and we deploy sting cars to follow the pattern of offending until the offender takes the bait.

"It's worked every time."

He also warned motorists to hide all the paraphernalia that goes with satellite navigation systems.

"If satellite navigation equipment is visible, even just the cradle, thieves will target those vehicles, believing the satellite navigation is concealed in the cars.

"Thieves will also steal the cradle."