A SERIAL thief faces jail after leaving his blood-smeared fingerprints on the walls of a club he burgled for a second time.

Karl Hogg served 18 weeks behind bars after smashing his way into Houghton Comrades Club and Houghton Snooker Club in Houghton-le-Spring in December 2018.

The prolific crook inadvertently left a screwdriver at one of the scenes which was covered in his DNA – and that secured his conviction in January 2019.

But the 32-year-old, of Sunderland Street, Houghton-le-Spring, did not learn his lesson and now faces a significant term behind bars after raiding the Comrades Club again on January 1 this year.

Bungling Hogg once again left a string of clues behind for detectives to follow – including his own blood-stained fingerprints on a door handle and walls.

Hogg refused to cooperate with police in interview, but with the weight of evidence against him overwhelming, he admitted burglary when appearing before magistrates in Newcastle at the weekend.

He is due to be sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court on March 8.

Detective Sergeant Chris Raper-Smith, who leads the Southern Burglary Team based at Southwick Police Station, said: “Karl Hogg is a serial burglar who has brought absolute misery to communities across Wearside.

“He has shown a constant disregard for the law and his victims, committing crime after crime for purely selfish gain without giving a second’s thought to those whose livelihoods he harms.

“We and the public are sick to death of Hogg’s criminality and he now must deal with the consequences of his actions when he is sentenced next month.

“I would like to thank the communities of Houghton and beyond for their ongoing support and cooperation, and sincerely hope Hogg’s conviction brings them some comfort.

“There is no place for offending such as this and we will continue to do all we can to put people like Hogg before the courts.”

The burglary of the Comrades Club was one of a spate of commercial break-ins reported in the Houghton, Washington and Shiney Row areas last month.

Investigations are ongoing into each of the offences. Two other men, aged 25 and 20, have been arrested on suspicion of burglary and remain under investigation.

Det Sgt Raper-Smith added: “This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and enquiries are ongoing into each report to ensure those responsible are identified, detained and brought to justice.

“We have a dedicated burglary team tasked with reviewing all break-ins across Sunderland and South Tyneside who analyse patterns of behaviour and work hand-in-hand with our neighbourhood and response teams to tackle areas of concern.

“We have increased patrols in the respective areas and officers are carrying out a number of enquiries in the area.

“We would continue to ask our communities to get in touch if you see anybody acting suspiciously.”

Anyone with information can contact Northumbria Police on its website's Tell Us Something page or contact 101.