Heroin addict broke into house and stole haul of items while woman was home alone

A judge told heroin addict Michael Parker he had an 'appalling record' of offending and breaching court orders

A heroin addict was caught red-handed by police going through the haul of items he had just stolen from his victim.

Michael Brian Parker had burgled a house while his victim was upstairs, stealing her laptop computer, passport, and bank statements.

Swansea Crown Court heard Parker has previous convictions for more than 140 offences including numerous burglaries, witness intimidation, and conspiracy to supply drugs.

Hannah George, prosecuting, said on April 24 this year Parker entered a house in Stanley Terrace in the Mount Pleasant area of Swansea through an unlocked front door, and took items including a Lenovo laptop, passport, bank cards and statements, and a tablet computer from a downstairs room.

In an upstairs room at the time was a female occupant who heard a rustling noise, and thought it may be her friend. When her calls went unanswered she went to investigate, and saw the 41-year-old defendant fleeing the property.

The police were called and a description of the intruder given. He was arrested a short time later sat on a wall outside the Windsor Lodge hotel going through the items he had stolen.

Parker, of Heol Tyn y From, Penparcau, Aberystwyth, had previously pleaded guilty to burglary when he appeared in the dock via videolink for sentencing.

The court heard he has 66 previous convictions for 144 offences, some 45 of which are for theft and kindred matters. Among his offences are burglary with intent to commit grievous bodily harm as well as numerous other dwelling and non-dwelling break-ins, obtaining property by deception, shoplifting, conspiracy to supply drugs, witness intimidation, and breaching a restraining order in regard to a former partner.

Lee Davies, for Parker, said by way of an explanation rather than excuse his client had a long-standing heroin and crack cocaine addiction, and needed money to pay a drug debt.

Judge Keith Thomas told the defendant he had an "appalling record" of offending and breaking court orders.

Giving the defendant credit for his guilty plea, he sentenced him to 16 months for the burglary, and revoked a community order he had been subject to at the time and re-sentenced him to four months for those matters.

Both sentences will run consecutively, making a total sentence of 20 months. Parker will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.