A RECENTLY released offender burgled an unoccupied home while the householder was on a weekend break, a court heard.

John Edward Kay used stones in the garden to smash a bay window at the semi-detached property, in East Law, between Ebchester and Consett, late on Saturday November 14.

He then scoured the property searching for items to plunder, leaving with several pieces of jewellery, plus bank debit cards, stuffed into a pillow case.

Durham Crown Court heard neighbours raised the alarm next day after seeing the smashed window and knowing the woman resident was away.

Peter Sabiston, prosecuting, said she was alerted and returned home early to discover several sentimental pieces of jewellery and personal effects, worth about £700, were among the missing items.

He said the intruder had ransacked drawers, leaving a trail of muddy footprints and blood stains through the house after cutting himself getting in through the broken window.

It was the result of forensic tests on those blood drops which led to the arrest of 37-year-old Kay earlier this month.

He denied the blood was his, claiming he had been “stitched up”, as he had not been to the Consett area since 2008 - but later admitted burglary when the charge was put to him at the crown court preliminary hearing.

The court heard that although it was his first domestic burglary, his record features an armed robbery, in which a shotgun was fired at a petrol filling station kiosk, in 2009.

He was given a 12-year prison sentence at Newcastle Crown Court, later in 2009, from which he was released on licence, at the mid-point, earlier this year.

Martin Scarborough, mitigating, said shortly after his early release, Kay was subject to benefit “sanctions” which left him, “significantly short of funds”.

“While this, in no way, excuses it, it meant that, in despair, he went to the Consett area and accepts smashing the window of the property, seeing no-one was at home, before taking the items mentioned.

“He tells me it was about 10.30pm and although initially denied, he now says, through me, that he did it and is remorseful,” added Mr Scarborough.

Jailing Kay, of Fernwood Road, Lemington, Newcastle, for 18-months, Judge Simon Hickey told him the break-in left the householder, “significantly distressed” that someone had plundered her personal property, leaving the house stained with blood and mud.