A burglar who was a drug addict at ten was jailed for over three years yesterday.

Edward Miller, 24, was using cannabis at ten and heroin at 16, said his lawyer.

But while Miller was remanded to prison he became drug free and he was determined to stay off them when he was eventually freed, said defence barrister David Lamb.

Miller left a fingerprint on a plug adaptor when he burgled a house in March stealing a game console, £300 and jewellery worth a total of £2,100 none of which was recovered, said prosecutor Michael Harding.

Miller who asked for another three house burglaries to be taken into consideration stole property worth a total of £5,300. He also breached a Drug Treatment and Testing Order twice which was imposed for an earlier burglary, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Miller and his girlfriend even left the North East and move to Pontefract to escape the drug culture but they returned and he was drawn back into drugs, said Mr Lamb.

Miller of St Cuthbert's Walk, Bishop Auckland, was jailed for three years and nine months after he admitted the four burglaries and breach in March and April.

Judge Les Spittle told him: "No doubt if you go back thieving and burgling again when you come out the sentence will be give years or more."