STOLEN items taken during a spate of Ipswich burglaries were discovered in a drug addict's home.John Alderson admitted handling the stolen goods and told police he knew who had committed the burglaries but refused to disclose who that person was.

STOLEN items taken during a spate of Ipswich burglaries were discovered in a drug addict's home.

John Alderson admitted handling the stolen goods and told police he knew who had committed the burglaries but refused to disclose who that person was.

Alderson pleaded guilty at Ipswich Crown Court to six charges of handling stolen goods, two charges of theft and one of fraudulently obtaining money. He also admitted breaching a suspended sentence and asked for four similar offences to be taken into consideration.

Godfried Duah, prosecuting, said the 21-year-old, who had a string of previous convictions for burglary, was sentenced in August to 50 weeks in prison for burglary but the term was suspended for two years.

Just days later in August six burglaries took place within walking distance of Alderson's Halifax Road home.

The court heard that two of the burglaries were that of 83-year-old and 64-year-old women and were opportunistic as there were no signs of break-ins. One burglary was of a credit card from an ambulance and was used to obtain £300.

Charles Riddleston, mitigating, said his client had tried to become free of the Class A drug cocaine and had kept probation appointments in the past.

Judge Newton sent Alderson to prison for a total of two years and 50 weeks.