A 51-YEAR-OLD burglar who made off with more than £10,000 of jewellery and cash in a 'targeted' raid has been jailed for two and a half years.

Edward Stokes from Sutton Benger, near Chippenham, was part of a gang who smashed their way into a taxi driver's home in the 25 minutes he was out.

After ransacking the property they pocketed £2,300, which had been saved for the taxi driver's children, and wedding jewellery given to the wife by her late mother.

The trauma of the raid was so bad the couple's daughter no longer wanted to go to the toilet at night as it was next to the back door which the raiders kicked in to enter.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the house on Acacia Grove, Pinehurst, Swindon was raided on September 13 last year.

She said the couple and their three young children had all gone out in two cars at 11.35am with the dad getting back alone at midday.

When the cabbie opened the front door he found the chain had been put across and hearing a noise from inside he immediately called police.

When he went in he found the three-bed terrace had been ransacked.

An envelope of cash was taken from the parents' room, along with jewellery worth between £6,000 and £8,000.

She said the jewellery had particular sentimental value as much of it was given to the wife by her mother, who had since died.

A smear of Stokes' DNA was found on a jug in the kitchen. When he was questioned he claimed it may have got there when he was hawking for work.

Miss Hingston said a victim personal statement from the homeowner said the family no longer felt safe in the house, especially when the dad was at work.

As well as the shock of having her room raided, the daughter no longer wanted to go to the toilet during the night as it was by the back door.

Stokes, of High Street, Sutton Benger, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Wafa Shah, defending, said her client had been to a house party nearby and got very drunk after nine years' abstinence.

On the morning of the raid she said he went out in a car with some others thinking they were looking for work.

"The next thing he knew they were inside the property. He said he did not know it was their intention and wanted no part of it," she said.

Despite having had to scale a high gate to get there she said that he did not have the strength to tell the others that he didn't want to do it, though he accepted pocketing £300.

She said he was living with his son and they worked as painters and decorators and he was very sorry for what he had done.