A career criminal who crept into the bedroom of two sleeping pensioners before stealing their mobile phones and bank cards has been locked up.

Jordan Day’s latest crime spree took place in April when he burgled one home, attempted to burgle another and breaking into an outhouse where he ransacked the building getting paint all over himself.

The 32-year-old was eventually arrested when he was spotted acting suspiciously near a charity shop when he was brought down by a police dog as he tried to avoid arrest.

Victoria Lamballe, prosecuting, said the first incident occurred on Redcar Lane when the occupant was awoken by a Ring doorbell notification as the Bell tried the door handle before walking away.

The woman recognised the defendant as he was a regular in the shop where she worked and a check of CCTV captured Day also trying the door handle of a nearby car.

The following evening, he was disturbed while going through the contents of the outhouse and made off from the scene.

Miss Lamballe said the defendant then targeted the pensioners’ home on Yewtree Close and forced his way in before stealing their mobile phones and bank cards, and a search of CCTV again found him trying the door handle of a vehicle.

While the defendant was in hospital getting treatment for the police dog bite an officer recovered a bank card he had hidden in his shoe.

Miss Lamballe said the pensioners had been left upset that the defendant had been in their room while they were sleeping to steal their phone and bank cards when he carried out the burglary.

Jordan DayJordan Day (Image: Cleveland Police)

Day, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary, attempted burglary, burglary non-dwelling and two offences of motor vehicle interference on April 13 and 14 this year.

Michele Turner, mitigating, said her client had shown remorse for the upset he had caused to the pensioners when he realised what he had done while under the influence of drugs.

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Judge Richard Bennett branded Day’s burglary of the pensioners’ home as ‘dreadful’ as he locked him up for three years and four months.

“They discovered you had smashed a kitchen window, come into their house, searched through a filing cabinet but most worryingly, you had gone into their bedroom whilst they were asleep,” he said.

“In a police interview, you told a pack of lies about how you came to be in possession of their goods.”

He added: “It is clear to me that you are a career thief and a burglar. You were made subject of a community order just 11 days before you committed these offences.”