Career thief is jailed for crime spree

Michael Booth, had pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.

The 30-year-old appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday for sentence.

The court heard that Booth, of Evans Street, Wolverhampton, had been committing crimes since he was a youth.

He was arrested by police on October 27 last year and was found to be in possession of a number of items which were clearly not his.

Three days later a family returned to their home in Telford to find it had been burgled.

"The house has been thoroughly searched, property including jewellery, alcohol electrical items as well as the car keys to a Volvo had been taken," said John Oates, prosecuting.

"When the defendant was arrested the police were suspicious about the items. In interview he refused to answer any questions.

"The Volvo was recovered and his fingerprints found in the vehicle along with those of another man.

"The family who had been burgled found that a cheque for £8,000 had been cashed and another blank cheque had also been stolen. CCTV showed the defendant paying it in to his account. He was arrested on December 6 after further stolen property had been recovered."

The total value of the burglary, which included gold watches, necklaces and brooches, foreign money and other items was around £10,000.

Myles Wilson, for Booth, said: "At the time of the offence, he was into drugs. He is now keen to stay off them."

Judge Jim Tindal sentenced Booth to 12 months imprisonment for handling stolen goods and four months for fraud to be served concurrently.

He was also sentenced to four months for taking the vehicle without consent which would be served consecutively.

He was, in total, sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, half of which he will serve in prison and half on licence.

Judge Tindal said: "You are only 30 but have been committing offences since you were a youth. You need to try and keep yourself out of trouble and off drugs. If you do that a gap in offending might become a permanent one."