A MAN has been jailed for 22 years for stealing a television remote.

Eric Bramwell stole the remote from the shared common area at his apartment complex in Wheaton, in the DuPage County in Illinois.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the stolen television remote was the last straw as Bramwell was known as a serial thief.

The 35-year-old was found guilty in November after his DNA was found on a glove that was dropped in the apartment after the theft of the universal television remote, which was stolen in August 2015.

The Chicago Tribune reports it is alleged Bramwell stole other remotes and televisions in apartment blocks around the DuPage County.

“Mr Bramwell’s illegal activity and his history have finally caught up with him,” state attorney Robert Berlin told the Tribune.

“Regardless of what was stolen, Mr Bramwell repeatedly thumbed his nose at the law. He took what he wanted time and time again and expected to avoid the consequences. That’s not how it works, as Mr Bramwell found out.”

He was sentenced to jail on January 4 and will be eligible for parole after serving half his sentence.