Burglar Joshua Twigg locked up for Christmas home raids

BURGLAR Joshua Twigg has been jailed after he targeted homes over the Christmas period.

The 22-year-old admitted burgling a detached home in Werrington and asked for 24 other offences, including 14 house burglaries, to be taken into consideration.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard a number of the break-ins happened over the festive season and the value of the stolen goods amounted to thousands of pounds.

Twigg's crime spree ended after he and an accomplice burgled a house in New Road, Werrington, on January 24.

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Prosecutor Fiona Cortese said the owners left it secure but returned at 4.15pm to discover it had been broken into.

Miss Cortese said: "There was glass on the carpet and an untidy search throughout."

A laptop, two cameras, a mobile phone, an MP3 player, cigarettes and £160 were stolen, a total value of £1,616.

A Scenes of Crime Officer recovered footwear marks which were later found to match Twigg's boots.

He was arrested the next day and officers found a piece of computer equipment belonging to the the victim under a mattress.

In a statement, the victim said it was hard to describe how she felt about people rifling through her personal things including her late mother's jewellery.

The statement added: "Every cupboard, drawer and box was ransacked and emptied in every room in the house."

The court heard Twigg, of Leason Road, Meir, who has 20 convictions for 48 offences, committed the burglary just 13 days after being handed a conditional discharge for being found in enclosed premises.

Hamish Noble, mitigating, conceded the burglaries were motivated by money as Twigg's benefits had been stopped.

He added the father committed the burglaries over a relatively short period in December and January.

Judge David Fletcher said the burglary involved ransacking and significant trauma was caused to the victim.

It was further aggravated because Twigg was a member of a group and there was a significant degree of planning.

Jailing Twigg for three years and four months, Judge Fletcher said: "It is pertinent to note a number of the burglaries took place on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and the period around the Christmas holidays. The value of the property lost amounts to many thousands of pounds.

"You knew exactly what you were doing and took the risks, and when risks go wrong there are consequences. The consequences for you is a custodial sentence."

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Giles, of Hanley CID, welcomed the sentence.

He said: "It sends out a clear message – if you commit a burglary in Stoke-on-Trent we will catch you and you will go to prison."

Twigg's co-accused, a 17-year-old who can't be named, pleaded guilty to burglary and asked for 12 others to be taken into consideration. He was sentenced to a youth rehabilitation order by magistrates earlier this month.