Ipswich: Burglar has prison sentence extended after admitting another break-in

A burglar who was jailed last year for breaking into a house in Ipswich will have to stay in prison longer after admitting another town burlary.

Michael Hart, 49, is currently serving a 26 month sentence imposed last March for burglary at a house in Belevedere Road, Ipswich on January 17 last year and an offence of converting criminal property.

He has now been jailed for a further 12 months, which will run consecutively, for a burglary at a house in Richmond Road, Ipswich on January 16 last year.

Jailing Hart, who was living in Lavenham, Judge John Holt said he could have asked for the burglary in Richmond Road to be taken into consideration when he was sentenced in March last year. “You took a chance believing you would get away with it,” said the judge.

Alice Carver, prosecuting told the court the 56-year-old owner of the house in Richmond Road, Ipswich had left her home at around 10am and had discovered the burglary when she returned at 5pm.

She found the back door wide open and a garden gate had been forced and although the premises hadn’t been ransacked items had been moved and drawers left open, said Miss Carver.

Items of jewellery including two necklaces, two rings and two watches of unspecified value which had been given as gifts to the owner of the house were missing.

When police arrived they discovered a fanlight window at the rear of the property had been forced open and the intruder had stepped on to a fridge leaving a footprint.

Laura Kenyon for Hart said that while serving his current sentence he had come to realise the seriousness of what he had done and he was disgusted by his behaviour.

She said Hart was making the best use of his time in custody and had been addressing his drug issues.