THE exasperated and heartbroken parents of a crack addict who once urged a judge to show him leniency have seen him jailed after he burgled their home again.

Despite previously vowing to give up drugs, when he was jailed for exactly the same offence early last year, Ryan Blareau was seen climbing into an upstairs window at his parents' Darlington house, on January 17.

Durham Crown Court heard his father, who had been out of the property for only 30 minutes, returned at 1.30pm, to find his son appearing to arrive, asking for a lift.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said as the conversation was taking place, a neighbour rang the father to report having seen Blareau climbing into the bedroom window.

His businessman father later checked the house and discovered £200, change from his wife’s business, had been taken from a bedroom drawer.

Blareau was later confronted by his parents, who told him they were at their wits' end and would alert police.

Mr Dryden said 90 minutes later Blareau returned with two money bags containing cash and begged his father not to call police.

He said: “His father said his son was addicted to crack cocaine and this had happened before, so he decided to report it to the authorities, anyway.

"He confirms that the defendant has burgled their house at least 15 times because of his addiction to drugs, and he just wanted him to stay away from them. He wants him to come off drugs and feels their son has shown them no respect.”

Blareau was arrested on February 23 and made admissions to police. “He told police that he had asked his mother for money to pay off a drugs debt, as, ‘some lads were going to do him in,’ and that’s why he burgled their house”, said Mr Dryden.

The court heard he was jailed for three years for burglary in 2012, but, in January last year, received a sentence limited to 12 months after his parents wrote to the court asking their son be jailed for his own good, but urging leniency.

Blareau even pledged to the judge that there would be, “no way I’m going back to using drugs”, as he had too much to lose.

The 30-year-old defendant, formerly of Scira Court, Darlington, admitted burglary.

John Turner, mitigating, said he is from, “thoroughly respectable family”, but his problems began when he started using crack cocaine, in about 2008, and he lost his brick-laying job as he became more drug dependent.

“His whole world crumbled around him and his offending began to escalate.”

Mr Turner said his parents initially helped with his drug debts, but eventually realised it was a, “false kindness” and refused him further money. He added Blareau intends to use his time in prison to seek help to overcome his addiction.

Jailing him for the mandatory three years, as a ‘third-strike’ burglar, less almost seven months for his early guilty plea, Recorder Peter Makepeace told Blareau it was a sad case.

He added: “I can only imagine how much angst and pain you have put your family through. A cocaine addiction is not an easy thing to conquer.”