A career criminal with 34 thefts and 10 burglaries to his name has been handed a 40-month prison sentence after leaving a passport photo at the scene of a foiled £4 million burglary in London's exclusive Belgravia district. Glen Banks, 57, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to the February 14 break-in at a two-bedroom house on Cadogan Lane.. The same judge, Sally-Ann Hales, had spared Banks jail just 11 days earlier for a separate burglary, but his rapid return to crime ended any leniency.

The passport photo that sealed Glen Banks' fate

According to court testimony from prosecutor Jade Sodipo, Banks climbed through a window of the £4 million Belgravia property and was spotted by a resident around 6 pm. He fled immediately, leaving behind a jacket containing paperwork — including a passport photo of himself.. The discovery gave police a direct identification, and DNA testing later confirmed the jacket belonged to Banks. "Nothing was taken from the property," Sodipo told the court, making the case an almost perfect example of a bungled crime.

Judge Hales' second chance that lasted three days

Banks' legal history underscores the frustration for the judiciary. in early February 2024, Judge Hales handed him a suspended sentence for stealing Louis Vuitton and Celine handbags, a necklace, wallets, AirPods, and £155 cash from a £12 million six-bedroom terraced house in Knightsbridge. She directed him to a rehabilitation centre in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, telling him it was "an enormous opportunity to tackle your difficulties." However, as the judge noted during Wednesday's hearing, "within three days of getting there,you were removed from the treatment centre because of unacceptable behaviour." Banks was on the street again 11 days after his suspended sentence, committing the Belgravia burglary.

How a £4 million Belgravia burglary yielded nothing but a conviction

The Belgravia property on Cadogan Lane — an affluent street in one of London's priciest neighbourhoods — became the site of Banks' latest failure. The resident heard rustling and spotted the intruder, who fled empty-handed. Yet the evidence left behind was damning: the jacket and its contents allowed police to connect Banks to the scene. The judge's comment to Banks — "Judging by the number of times you have been caught, you are not very good at it" — captured the absurdity of a career criminal who repeatedly leaves obvious clues.

A criminal record of 34 thefts and 10 burglaries — and counting

Banks' record, detailed by the prosecution, paints a picture of entrenched recidivism. With 34 thefts and 10 burglaries over his career, he has spent decades moving through the justice system. The 40-month sentence breaks down as 28 months for the Belgravia burglary plus the 12-month suspended sentence from the Knightsbridge case. Defence lawyer Matthew Banks (no relation) argued that his client was "incredibly keen to make this work" — a claim the judge dismissed given the rapid relapse. The case raises uncomfortable questions: how many chances does a repeat offender deserve, and at what cost to public safety?