A BRAZEN burglar who walked into a taxi office and stole a television from the wall has been jailed for six months.

Reece Bishop, 26, walked into Five and Five Fours’ base in St John’s Avenue, Colchester, in broad daylight and removed the £200 television.

Rachel Law, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, said he headed straight upstairs into a training room while other people were working in the building.

CCTV footage showed Bishop carrying the television out of the property on November 2 last year and was key to securing his arrest 17 days later.

Gazette: Burglary - Five and Five Fours' office in St John's AvenueBurglary - Five and Five Fours' office in St John's Avenue (Image: Google)

Five and Five Fours boss David Nicholls said staff have been left “shocked and frightened by the incident.

A statement read on his behalf to the court said children had missed out on lifts to school due to the raid as the television provided training on how to transport youngsters.

The court heard Bishop, a convicted sex offender, went on to breach the notification requirements imposed on him while on bail for the burglary.

He was moved by Colchester Council to The Lemon Tree Hotel in Clacton amid fears for his safety in his previous accommodation.

Gazette: Stolen - Bishop stole a television worth £200 from the businessStolen - Bishop stole a television worth £200 from the business (Image: Google)

But the defendant, who has breached his notification requirements on 11 previous occasions, “forgot” to tell the police about his new address.

Ms Law said Bishop was also in breach of a suspended sentence order when he committed the burglary.

Bishop, of Brooklands, Colchester, admitted offences of burglary, breaching his notification requirements and breaching a suspending sentence.

He was jailed for six months but has already served two-and-a-half of those on remand at Norwich Prison.

Gazette: Sentenced - Reece Bishop, 26, appeared before Chelmsford Crown CourtSentenced - Reece Bishop, 26, appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court (Image: ANDRA MACIUCA)

Sean Summerfield, mitigating, said his client had a “troubling” upbringing and is “clearly someone who is very vulnerable”.

He added: “He was housed at that hotel by the council because he was being threatened by another person at the council accommodation and it was thought to be safer that he moved.”

Judge Timothy Godfrey told the defendant: “I have no confidence that you will comply with a further sentence to be served in the community.”