A Dagenham man has been jailed after stealing eight cars and trying to escape police during a 100mph pursuit.

Between January 31 and March 5, Brett Parker, of Blackborne Road, targeted three homes in Chelmsford and five homes in Braintree.

During the eight burglaries, the 25-year-old stole a Mercedes, a Renault Capture, an Audi AS, an Audi A1, a Nissan Qashqai, a Kia Proceed, a Toyota Aygo and a Volvo V60.

Parker was caught on dashcam footage in the Toyota and was positively identified by officers.

On March 5, he was arrested following a high-speed pursuit after he was spotted behind the wheel of a Mercedes in Romford.

The vehicle reached speeds of more than 100mph.

He was charged with conspiracy to commit burglary and driving dangerously.

At Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, May 10, Parker was jailed for six years for the burglary offences and one year for dangerous driving, with the sentences to run at the same time.

He was also disqualified from driving for three years and six months and will have to take a new driving test before getting back behind the wheel.

Det Con Gemma White, who led the investigation, said: “Parker has received a sentence which is proportionate to his crimes.

“Burglary is one of Essex Police’s priority areas. This crime type has a significant impact on the wellbeing and safety of our victims whose homes are broken into and we work tirelessly to get justice for victims.

“In this case, we were able to recover five of the eight stolen cars and return them to their owners.”