A teenage burglar cycled to a house and broke in at night before stealing the family’s car and “kangarooing” off down the road, a court heard.

Brad Neville, 19, who started committing burglaries at the age of 13, also stole two mobile phones and a wallet from the house in Mannock Road, Dartford. Witnesses saw him and another man cycling off. Officers traced him to his home in Wodehouse Road and found one of the phones, Maidstone Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Keiran Brand said Kal Ghale parked his Toyota Yaris on the drive of the house on May 7 this year. He and his wife went to bed around 11pm.

Mr Ghale woke up at about 4.15am and went downstairs to get his phone. When he could not find it his wife suggested he had left it in his car. He looked out of the window and saw that the car had gone. He also saw that his wife’s phone was missing, along with his wallet containing bank cards and £30.

A screwdriver had been used to force open the door.

Mr Brand said footage from a neighbour’s CCTV cameras showed two men on bikes in the area heading for the victims’ house. A neighbour said she saw the car start up at about 2.20am and drive off, kangarooing as if the person could not drive. She could also hear laughter.

Mr Ghale found his wallet containing the bank cards on a bin. The cash was missing.

Neville at first claimed he had bought the phone found at his house from a “crackhead” for £60, but later admitted burglary and theft. He was a “three strikes” burglar facing a minimum three years youth custody, but the sentence was reduced to two years and five months because of his guilty plea.

Danny Moore, defending, said Neville was taken into care at the age of eight and had since been in almost 100 placements. He absconded from homes and committed offences.

Recorder Clive Broe told Neville: “I accept you have not had an easy start to life but it is does not excuse your offending. The public should be able to feel safe in their homes at night.”