Prolific Walsall criminal jailed after committing 13th burglary

Drug addict David Fellows was jailed for 40 months after targeting the Walsall home while residents were in their beds.

It was the 13th time the serial burglar had preyed on people's homes and the fourth time he was ushered to prison for his offending.

Sentencing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Recorder Abigail Nixon said: "It's a sad case. You knew full well the effects of committing dwelling house burglaries."

Two residents at the North Street home thought they had 'secured' the house before leaving for night shifts, while other family members slept on October 7 last year.

One of the occupiers returned, noticing a PlayStation was missing, while the other realised the kitchen window was open, prosecutor Mr Ian Ball said.

Police later discovered Fellows, who was also spotted on a neighbour's CCTV, had crawled through the window before snatching the console, two games and two controllers worth £460.

The criminal, who was on licence at the time, denied his offending to interviewing officers and a trial was fixed, but later confessed.

Defence barrister Mr Oliver Woolhouse said Fellows, who admitted burglary, was battling a 'long-standing' drug addiction and had written an apology letter to Recorder Nixon.

The 36-year-old had remained law-abiding over the past year, which was an 'achievement' for him, the barrister told the court on Thursday.

Fellows was jailed for three years in 2007 after burgling three homes and then sent to prison for four years after targeting four homes two years later.

He burgled a further two homes and was locked up for four years in March 2014 - with his sentence not due to expire until March 18 next year.

The defendant, of Proffitt Close, Walsall, was handed a further 28-day sentence for failing to surrender and told to pay a victim surcharge.