By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 10:14, Saturday, 13 September 2008

A burglar who broke into a Cumbrian cottage while “stoned” kicked the occupant’s dog when it barked and said he would have “battered” anyone who caught him.

Persistent offender Robert Phillips stole £2,000-worth of cash and electrical items when he raided one home in Thursby, near Carlisle, before going on to target another property in the village that same day.

He was jailed for three years and four months at Carlisle Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to the crimes and having another three – two for stealing from cars and another theft from a building – taken into account.

The 22-year-old, of Wythurn Road, Whitehaven, had a lengthy list of previous convictions despite his young age, a judge was told.

His most recent crimes were committed on May 27.

One of the occupants of the first house he targeted, who knew Phillips through her ex-boyfriend, spotted him in the village as she and her mother left their home that morning.

When they returned home, they discovered the property had been ransacked and property stolen.

A second villager, who had seen Phillips acting suspiciously in the village that morning, returned home at about 6pm to find her property had also been hit.

Police took fingerprints from the scene and discovered Phillips was responsible for both break-ins.

He told police he had been on his way from Wigton to Carlisle when he committed the crimes because he was “skint, depressed and thought it would brighten is day”.

He admitted to officers that he kicked the dog in the first house and that he was “stoned” on temazepam and that he becomes violent after taking it.

Sentencing, Judge Paul Batty QC said the crimes had been aggravated by the violence and that considerable distress had been caused to the householder affected.

First published at 09:25, Saturday, 13 September 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk