A DRUG addict who went on a six-month spree in a North Yorkshire town has been jailed for five years.

Ryan Mulvaney, from Harrogate, was sentenced for 16 offences when he appeared at York Crown Court.

The 41-year-old committed so many offences in a short period of time, detectives had to split the investigation across two teams to secure a prosecution.

He admitted burglary at a home in the town, dangerous driving, handling stolen goods, fraud and taking cash from a cafe.

He also stole high-value electronic items including a TV and coffee machine from two supermarkets.

During an extensive investigation, detectives in Harrogate’s Investigation Hub pieced together his offending and charged him with, theft, burglary, theft of motor vehicle, dangerous driving, having a blade in public and possessing a class-A drug

Jailing him for five years, the judge also took into consideration other charges Mulvaney faced, including fraud by false representations by using a stolen bank card and the theft of a handbag from a motor vehicle.

Speaking after the sentencing, one of the officers in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Quita Passmore, said: “This was an utterly reckless and prolonged crime spree from a man who can only be described as a habitual offender.

“I have no doubt, and Mulvaney has alluded to it himself, that this spree was fuelled by a substantial heroin addiction."