A CONVICTED conman is back in prison after he burgled a Good Samaritan before stealing a van from a homeless charity during a mini crime wave.

Philip Allman, previously jailed for scamming victims to pay for a holiday at party hotspot Ayia Napa, raided a house in Chepstow on August 11.

Newport Crown Court how the defendant had been taken in by a woman who felt sorry for him because he was homeless.

Allman was told by her he was no longer welcome after staying there a week when police arrived to speak to him about an unrelated matter.

He then returned to the house in Hollins Close at night and stole two watches of sentimental value, an iPhone worth £700 and cash.

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Allman also took the car keys of his victim’s Volkswagen Passat and made off in the vehicle.

Prosecutor Richard Ace said: “It was later found in the Newquay area of Cornwall.

“The defendant had been living in the vehicle for a number of days and it was recovered with minor damage to the door.”

On August 23 Allman stole a Vauxhall Vivaro van from the Wallich homeless charity in Newport.

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He was spotted driving it in the Chepstow area by a police officer and reversed into his vehicle during a short chase.

Allman, 31, of Obama Grove, Rogerstone, Newport, pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and dangerous driving.

Mr Ace told the court it was the defendant’s third conviction for burglary.

Rosamund Rutter, representing the defendant, a father of two, asked for her client to be given full credit for his guilty pleas.

She added he was a qualified mechanic who hoped to return to this field of work after his release from custody.

The judge, Recorder Duncan Bould, told Allman he had committed “mean offences”.

He said: “You stole from a person who allowed you to stay in her home and then stole from a homeless charity.

“Although the dangerous driving was short-lived, when you reversed into the police car you didn’t give any thought to who might have been injured.

“Fortunately, no one was.”

As a third-strike burglar Allman was given the statutory minimum prison term of 876 days.

He will also have to serve an additional consecutive term of four months in jail for the theft of the Vivaro van and dangerous driving.

The defendant was banned from driving for three years and ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge.