A BURGLAR has been jailed for just under two and-a-half years for a raid on a man’s flat which the victim said had left him unable to sleep at night.

Andrew Rudd sneaked in through an unlocked door while the victim slept at his home in York Road, Hartlepool, on July 25 this year.

He stole an array of items, including clothing, jewellery and money, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The victim said in a statement he had only been in the flat four weeks.

He said: “I worked hard for all the items that have been taken. After the burglary I could not sleep at all as I was thinking about things over and over.”

Rudd, 42, of Cherry Walk, Hartlepool, has 54 convictions on his criminal record for 123 offences, including seven previous convictions for house burglaries - now eight.

He admitted burglary and possessing a small amount of cannabis.

Andrew Teate, mitigating, said: “The defendant says it was an opportunistic offence, there was no planning.

“The only real credit is that he duly pleaded guilty.”

Judge Stephen Ashurst said: “This was an offence committed by someone with a very bad criminal record.

“You took the opportunity to sneak in and start rifling through this man’s property.”

The judge jailed Rudd, who was sentenced via a video link, for two years, 146 days in total.