ONE of the Isle of Wight's most prolific offenders has been jailed.

Darren Prouten, 36, of Hawthorn Manor Farm, Chale, admitted a string of burglary and handling stolen goods charges, alongside driving without insurance and possession of cannabis, and was sentenced at Isle of Wight Crown Court on Friday.

With a long criminal record, an officer for the probation service told the court: "He is without a doubt one of the Island's most prolific offenders."

The officer assessed Prouten as presenting a 74 per cent chance of reoffending.

"Whatever work we do doesn't seem to have an impact on his offending.

"He has an entrenched pattern of similar offences."

Among the many stolen items he was charged with handling were a motocross bike, a number of different tools, generators, batteries used for temporary traffic lights and oil drums, prosecutor Rose Burns told the court.

Prouten also admitted stealing £3,000 worth of tools from a caravan park.

Prouten was stopped by police driving his van off a ferry and the motocross bike and some of the tools were in the van.

For Prouten, Elisabeth Bussey-Jones said her client claimed the van was shared and he had nothing to do with stealing the items.

She added: "Although he has many convictions, none are of a very high level.

"This is a man of relatively low intelligence living in a caravan with his dog.

"This is not a sophisticated commercial operation. It is opportunistic."

Recorder Marcus Pilgerstorfer said: "You have an absolutely shameful record of previous convictions."

Prouten was sentenced to a total of 17 months in prison.