A man who went on a burgling spree last year has been sentenced to six years in prison.
Adam Ashworth, 33, pled guilty to all but one of the counts against him, which were related to burglaries committed in November.
Burnley Crown Court heard how on Monday, November 7, Ashworth gained entry to a house on Florence Avenue in Burnley.
The owner came downstairs at around 6.45am and gradually discovered she was the victim of a burglary when she saw her handbag on the kitchen floor, her purse open on the side and saw a PlayStation had been taken from the living room.
Also gone was a Vauxhall Astra car from outside, which was recovered by police three days later a few streets away.
Entry appeared to have been gained via the rear door through there were no signs of forced entry or damage.
The second burglary took place on Helm Close on November 14. The owner discovered the handle on his front door was broken when he put the key in the lock and it came out.
A PlayStation along with games and a headset were taken from his living room.
The third burglary happened on Bivel Street on November 15. The occupant noticed a TV had been taken from the wall in his kitchen and when he went to call the police to report it, he realised his mobile phone had been taken too.
He then went to drive to work to call the police from there, but discovered his car had been taken. He eventually walked to work and reported the burglary from there.
Finally, on Sunday, November 20, a man woke to discover his car was gone when he went to defrost the windscreen.
He then went downstairs to see the lock was snapped on a rear patio door, and bank cards, a pushbike, a TV, an iPad, and clothing had all been stolen.
Mitigating for Ashworth, his barrister said he recognised he was in a very poor mental state following his mother’s death from cancer in August last year.
He resorted to misuse of crack cocaine and admitted this was on a prodigious scale.
Sentencing, Judge Sara Dodd said this was a “campaign of burglary” which in isolation would probably each have a starting point of two years.
Judge Dodd sentenced Ashworth to a total six years in prison, with each count to run concurrently with each other and to the one he is currently serving.
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