A PROLIFIC burglar with a "dreadful history" who caused untold misery to householders received a jail sentence yesterday.

Father-of-one Patrick Carlin, 36, "ransacked" two properties and stole more than £4,000 of belongings from each house.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Carlin, who is already serving a prison sentence, threw a brick through French doors at a house in Bishop Auckland, disabled an alarm, and got away with 71 items valued at more than £8,000.

Stan Anderson, prosecuting, told the court how in the first burglary, the female householder had left the property on September 25 last year and returned to find her house had been burgled.

A total of 32 items valued at £4,800 had been stolen, including jewellery. Nothing has been recovered.

Mr Anderson told the court that scenes of crime investigators found a footprint in the house and on October 3 Carlin was arrested after his footware was matched to the footprint.

The court also heard how Carlin was linked to a burglary three days later by DNA from a blood swab taken from a window.

Paul Caulfield told the court in mitigation that Carlin was already serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence and asked Judge Michael Cartlidge not to add a further custodial sentence.

But Judge Cartlidge said that only a custodial sentence added to Carlin's current sentence would be sufficient, and added 12 months.

He told Carlin: "You have the most dreadful history. With 17 previous convictions you have caused untold misery for the householders of the homes you burgled."

Carlin, of Greenwood Avenue, Fenham, Newcastle, admitted burglary.