A habitual thief with a nearly 20-year record of stealing bikes has been jailed for 18 months.Kevin Howard, 42, of Radnor Road, Hamilton Parish, admitted in Magistrates’ Court to stealing a motorcycle within hours of being released by police for committing the same offence.Magistrate Juan Wolffe told Howard he was “dangerously prolific”.“You left the police station for one offence, and then on the same day you go and steal another bike? Why?”Howard told him: “I needed it for transportation.”The court heard from Crown counsel Kirsty-Ann Kiellor that on the morning of February 2, Amy Rentan locked her motorcycle on Gorham Road, and returned to find it stolen later that day. Ms Rentan reported the theft to police.On February 9, police executing a search at Howard’s residence on another matter discovered the motorcycle there.Arrested and interviewed, Howard admitted stealing the bike, and was released on bail on February 11.At 6pm that day, Vernal Cann locked her motorcycle on the porch of her Devonshire home and retired to bed. She found her vehicle taken the next morning.Police searched Howard’s residence and found the motorcycle there, with Howard telling them: “I steal bikes. I took that bike from Devonshire.”Mr Wolffe noted that Howard had only been released from jail in December.“It’s almost as if you’re quite proud of this,” he told him.He sentenced Howard to 18 months in jail for both offences, with the two sentences to run concurrently.