'What are you doing in there?': Police find burglars hiding in basement

Lee Fideghelli was jailed for two and a half years Credit: Kent Police

A man who broke into a property before hiding in the basement whilst claiming to be homeless has been jailed for two and a half years.

Lee Fideghelli was one of two men who were found by Kent Police officers responding to calls that a burglary was in progress at an address in Chatham. Body cam footage shows officers finding the men cowering behind the remnants of a door.

The 43-year-old, of The Mount, Chatham, admitted burglary, and an attempted burglary, and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 14th of May 2021.

  • WATCH: the moment the men were found by police officers

Accomplice Mark Abraham, 30, of The Mount, Chatham, also admitted the same offences and was sentenced to 60 days in prison, suspended for one year, at Medway Magistrates’ Court on the 5th of December.

Both men first tried to break into a house on Rochester Street at around 10.45pm on the 3rd of December but failed to successfully enter the property. They then returned later on and when confront by the owner, fled the scene.

Just after 11pm, a resident called the police saying they believed a burglary was taking place at another house on Rochester Street. When officers arrived at the scene, they came across two men in the basement of the property, with clear damage caused to an entry door.

The burglars' hiding place seconds before being exposed by the officer's torch. Credit: Kent Police

They arrested Fideghelli and Abraham, who initially claimed they were homeless and were looking for a place to sleep. Both men were charged while in custody, with Abraham pleading guilty at a remand hearing.

Fideghelli initially declined to enter a plea and has been remanded in custody since his arrest.