A PROLIFIC thief who joined in two raids on a well-known North Yorkshire department store has been jailed after a judge said shopkeepers needed a rest from him.

Terry Cook - who has more than 200 separate crimes on his record - made off with several thousands of pounds worth of perfume, cosmetics and clothing from Barkers in Northallerton.

Accomplice, Robert Thornton, has already been jailed for 30 months for similar burglaries at Binns in Darlington, and breaching his prison licence. He had asked for the Barkers’ incidents to be taken into account.

Cook, of Westbrook, Darlington, was caught after being captured on CCTV images, while his DNA was also found on a cigarette left at the scene.

Prosecutor Paul Newcombe said Barkers was broken into on November 25 and December 1 last year. On the first occasion a brick was thrown through a display window and on the second a glass door was broken.

Cook, 41, was seen helping to carry the items away. The store later estimated its total bill to be £6,322, almost £2,000 of which was an increased insurance excess.

Mr Newcombe said: “His offending is prolific and at the time he was subject to the terms of a conditional discharge.”

Ben Pegman, mitigating, said Cook had carried the can for the commission of the offences, having been offered and foolishly taken the opportunity to make some quick money.

He said: “He had a troubled upbringing and was taken into care. He turned to heroin at 24 and that is the root of the problem. It is a comfort blanket for him, but the necessity of that is the commission of offences to feed his habit.”

Judge Sean Morris said Cook was a professional thief who in the past had been dealt with by the courts far too leniently and he described the burglaries as “brazen and planned”.

He said: “People must be heartily sick of your offending. Local shopkeepers need a rest from you. You have never worked in your life and heaven knows how much you have cost the country.”

Cook, who admitted two counts of burglary, was jailed for two years, four months.