A “deeply manipulative” criminal who admitted to committing over 200 offences has been sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Judge Jonathan Carroll criticised Andrew Kent, 38, of Watling Street, Radlett, at St Albans Crown Court for showing “no insight” despite multi-agency help given to halt his prolific offending.

Kent failed to take the chance offered to him on the Choices and Consequences (C2) rehabilitation programme, offered by Herts Police and other organisations as an alternative to custody.

The prolific criminal appeared at court on Friday, March 18, and was sentenced to a total of 10 years after committing a further burglary in Radlett in July 2015 while on the C2 programme.

As part of the terms of being selected for the course, Kent had to admit to all of his previous crimes during his assessment – which reached over 200 in total.

These included burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles, mainly in St Albans and Watford.

His sentencing reflected the eight offences committed in the Herts and Metropolitan areas between 2001 and 2013 for which Kent was originally arrested, along with the 246 offences taken into consideration for which he received a four-year sentence.

He also received a six-year sentence for the new burglary offence committed while on the rehabilitation course.

Having failed to comply with the strict conditions of the programme and having committed a further offence, Kent was convicted for all of the crimes to which he had admitted.

Judge Carroll told him: “You are a deeply manipulative man with little or no insight into your offending.

“You do not take any responsibility for your failure on the programme and accuse officers of perverting the course of justice.

“You apologise to the victim of a recent crime but deny having any involvement. While on the programme your offending had reduced and the sentence has taken into account what you have achieved while on the programme, although you have achieved little or nothing.”

Detective Sergeant Joady Ealham from the Offender Management Unit said: “We recognise that not all those who undertake the programme will be successful and that in some cases offenders will return to crime. However, while on C2 these prolific offenders are closely monitored and if they do offend again it is immediately identified and dealt with.

“The programme not only removes prolific criminals from the cycle of offending and imprisonment, which can save tens of thousands of pound in legal and policing costs, but also offers them the chance to lead a normal life and contribute to society rather than being a drain on it.

“In this case Kent has not been able to turn away from a life of crime, and the sentence means he is facing the consequences of his decision to carry on offending.”

• The C2 programme aims to give prolific offenders, usually with some form of addiction driving their criminality, the opportunity to put crime behind them by helping them to deal with their problems, while ensuring they do not reoffend.

• Offenders carry out unpaid work, are tested for drugs twice a week, have a curfew, are given counselling and attend probation appointments.