A BURGLAR who has made a living from targeting church, university and college buildings, was jailed for three years for his latest two offences.

Imposing sentence on John William Wilson for the March break-ins at two Durham University buildings, Judge Christopher Prince said it appeared to form a pattern with his previous non-domestic and non-commercial targets, for which he has generally only received relatively short jail terms.

Durham Crown Court heard that he took eight lap-tops or other computer devices from the School of Applied Social Sciences, in Old Elvet, and an unknown amount of money from a drinks vending machine, at St John’s College, in South Bailey.

In both cases Wilson gained entry by smashing a window at the rear of the buildings, while at the social sciences faculty he also took keys, which meant all the locks had to be changed, at a total cost, including repairs, of £5,200.

Ian West, prosecuting, said the computers belonged to the department and all work stored on them was “backed up”, so it could be retrieved.

Wilson, who was traced through leaving DNA evidence left at the scenes of crime, and he admitted two counts of burglary.

Judge Prince previously asked for details of some of Wilson’s previous tally of 71 convictions for 139 offences.

Mr West revealed many were also places of worship or college buildings, many in Durham.

They include St Oswald’s Church institute, in Church Street, in the city, and a church in Woodlands Road, Middlesbrough, both also earlier this year.

David Carmichael, mitigating, said the 40-year-old defendant, whose last address was care of a men’s hostel in Plawsworth, near Chester-le-Street, was, at the time of the offences, homeless and penniless.

“Effectively, he committed the offences to generate income in an attempt to provide himself with food and shelter.

“It’s accepted he has a large number of similar offences detailed on his record.”

Mr Carmichael said much of his previous offending arose also from difficulties with amphetamine and heroin misuse.

Passing sentence, Judge Prince told Wilson: “I take the view you are targeting these buildings.

“There seems to have been a significant degree of planning.

“In mitigation it’s said you were homeless at the time. It’s not a mitigating factor.

“This sentence is intended to send a clear message that if you continue committing such offences, you will only spend increasingly significant time in prison.”