A burglar who travelled by taxi to a house before stealing a van from the driveway has been jailed for 876 days.
Gavin Smith booked the taxi after learning that the occupant was not at their home in Blidworth.
After arriving at the address at about 7.30pm on 30 January, the 38-year-old entered the house and took the keys to a Volkswagen Caddy parked outside.
Smith drove away in the van, which contained work tools worth thousands of pounds.
The theft was discovered several hours later. By that time, the van had been damaged and taken to an address in Fritchley Court, Mansfield.
Police found and recovered the vehicle within 48 hours, along with the tools inside.
Smith was identified through CCTV footage. Police also established that the taxi had been booked from his phone in his own name.
Smith, of Sherwood Street, Mansfield, initially denied burglary and taking a vehicle without consent.
He pleaded guilty to both offences at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday 21 July, the day his trial was due to begin.
Smith was sentenced that day to 876 days in prison, equivalent to just under two years and five months.
PC Alice Braben, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the van and tools had been returned to their owner soon after the theft and that Smith had been identified through the available evidence.
