A CRIME gang which travelled from Darlington to steal high-value cars has left a family devastated after a break-in.

Dominic Beggs was part of a three-man team which targeted a property in Eaglesciffe, near Stockton, on June 15 – just ten days after he dodged jail for a house burglary.

On Tuesday, a judge at Teesside Crown Court told the 21-year-old that he had to be locked up for his most recent crime spree.

A householder discovered televisions had been stolen from her living room and conservatory, along with a handbag, laptop purse, car keys and her Vauxhall Astra.

A bank card had also been used to withdraw £100, £50 and £150 from a cashpoint machine at an Asda supermarket in the early hours, said prosecutor Emma Atkinson.

Closed circuit television at Bradbury service station on the A689 at Stillington, near Stockton, showed Beggs pull up in the stolen hatchback and try to buy things worth £150 on the card.

In a victim personal statement, the householder told how she took her daughter back upstairs when she realised their home had been broken into, and was "petrified" in case the intruders were still in the house.

She said she was "absolutely terrified" at the thought of someone being into their property as they slept, and angry because of the financial loss and inconvenience.

When Beggs was arrested and questioned, he said another two people had been with him and they had travelled by train to look for "high-end" cars to steal.

He said they came across the £6,000 Astra, covered their faces, changed clothing and wore gloves to carry out their crimes before selling the car for just £200.

He admitted burglary, theft, fraud and driving without insurance, and confessed to a further two undetected thefts from cars and four offences of vehicle interference.

His barrister, Paul Newcombe, told Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC: "This is a young man who wants to wipe the slate clean and start again.

"There is a deep and genuine remorse. There is a letter in which the defendant recognises the hurt that he has caused the family, and it is refreshing to see a letter that isn't focused so much on himself, but rather on the impact he has had on his victims."

Judge Bourne-Arton jailed Beggs, of Station Road, Darlington, for two years and four months.

He said: "This burglary is a serious one in the sense that the occupant was at home with her daughter.

"There were more than one of you and you went equipped to steal, and you planned it because you were after high-value cars."