A SERIAL thief with 39 previous convictions has been jailed for stealing £6,500 worth of possessions from a Stafford doctor’s home.
Homeless heroin addict Martin Bolton, 29, was handed a 16-month sentence at Stafford Crown Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to burglary.
He admitted watching the doctor leave his Trenchyard Avenue home at 8am on January 10 before smashing a window, entering and taking items including jewellery, prescription drugs and foreign currency.
The homeowner returned from work at around 7pm to find his house had been “ransacked”.
When arrested shortly after the burglary, Bolton was high on the medication he stole and initially claimed he had “found” the stolen goods he was carrying.
The loot was later identified by its owner and police uncovered footprint evidence near the window Bolton entered through.
Mark Nicholls, defending, said: “My client is almost 30 and has a long offending history, but something inside him is telling him he needs to sort things out.
“While in custody, he has started a City and Guilds course in carpentry and joining and, although he has a long history of drug abuse, he tells me he’s now clean.
“He needs a sentence that will give him some light at the end of the tunnel, so he can complete his studies and apply for an apprenticeship.” Passing sentence on Bolton, Judge Benjamin Nicholls said: “You have a typical drug addict’s record, with countless crimes of dishonesty, mainly shoplifting.
“Burglary is such a serious matter because people don’t only lose the possessions they’ve worked so hard earn.
“This man came home from work no doubt hoping to relax but, instead, found his home had been ransacked.
“The sense of violation householders feel when burgled makes it even more serious – people have the right to feel secure in their own home.
