Heroin addict behind bars (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Heroin addict behind bars

8:27am Friday 18th January 2008 in Swindon By Gazette Reporter

A heroin addict who carried out a spate of burglaries across the Freshbrook area of town is back behind bars.

Gerad Ryan targeted empty houses in the evening spreading misery as he stole to fund his drug addiction.

The 35-year-old, who has a long history of offending including 27 previous convictions for house burglary, even continued his crime spree after being arrested and released on bail.

But within hours of his last raid the crook was found hiding in a wardrobe at home with the stolen property still on him.

Now he is starting a 40 month jail term after admitting 16 break ins, all in the same area of west Swindon.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court "During August and September last year there was a spate of burglaries in the Freshbrook area of Swindon.

"As a consequence inquiries were made at the Money Shop in Commercial Road, Swindon, to see if any people known to the police, and especially Mr Hicks, had taken anything there that had come from any of those burglaries."

Officers were told that on Monday September 3 Hicks had taken two bags of jewellery which matched some taken from a house on Aldwalton Close the weekend before.

During that break in jewellery worth about £750 had been taken while the occupants were away on holiday, their daughter finding the house had been burgled.

He had also been in with a sovereign ring and other jewellery which was thought to have come from another break in so the police got a search warrant.

When they raided his home at Fleetwood Court they found items from burglaries at Langdale Drive and Worsley Road in August.

Hicks denied everything when he was questioned but glass fragments found on his clothing was sent off for analysis and matched windows smashed at the houses.

Miss Marlow said he was released on bail while the inquiries were taking place but on the evening of Tuesday November 20 he broke into a house on Devereux Close.

The householder had been out between 7.15pm and 10.15pm and returned to find the patio door had been forced.

Within an hour of the burglary being found officers raced to Hicks' home and found him hiding in the wardrobe with items he had taken.

Again he denied any involvement but later changed his tune and admitted carrying out the spate of offences to fund his habit.

Hicks, of Fleetwood Court, Freshbrook, admitted four counts of burglary and asked for 12 further matters to be taken into consideration.

The court heard he had a long list of previous convictions including 27 for dwelling house burglary, though all but one were more than a decade ago.

He was put on a drug treatment and testing order in 2003 for burglary, but had returned to heroin.

Chris Smyth, defending, said his client had been working legitimately with his brother in law buying and selling cars.

But when his business partner used their earnings on crack cocaine he found he needed to steal to fund his own habit.

He said his client only targeted empty houses in the evening and not at night causing the minimum disturbance to the properties.

When he admitted what he had done he made a clean breast of things with the police telling them about offences which they could never have solved without his help.

Mr Smyth said he also helped with the recovery of stolen property and was still working on getting back a ring which had great sentimental value to the victim.

Jailing him Judge Douglas Field said "The last time you were here on a charge of burglary the court gave you an opportunity to deal with your drug problem and they gave you a drug treatment and testing order.

"You are back here again having committed burglaries and again telling me that the reason is because of your drug habit."