A VICTIM of a prolific burglar who broke into his home while he and his wife were sleeping said they are still struggling to get over the raid.

Gary Hughes, aged 46, of Watkin Street, Orford, was jailed for three years and four months earlier this week at Warrington Crown Court after committing a string of break-ins at night in Orford and Longford while the residents were at home.

Hughes was arrested on February 27, after detectives caught him red-handed following a tip-off he would be in the area commiting burglaries.

They recovered an estimated £4,000 haul from another address he was using to store the stolen items that included two laptops, several mobile phones, a computer, three large screen plasma TVs, PSP games, a portable DVD player and a camera.

One of his victims, who has only been identified as Alan, said the burglary at his home in December was one of 17 taken into consideration by the court after Hughes admitted three break-ins earlier this year.

He said: “As stated in court Hughes has been a career criminal since a teenager and at 46, I don’t think he will ever change.

“He was out on licence from his last string of burglaries and got sentenced on the three strike rule.

“Through his barrister and a letter to the court he expressed remorse, but with his track record, the hollow words expressed were difficult to accept, knowing the circumstances.”

He added: “Since the burglary in December, the impact is still being felt. Despite a range of security measures being installed my wife is still nervous entering our home of 25 years on her own.

“My job entails working away, which has been restricted by my wife still being unsettled on her own overnight.

“The fact we were in bed at the time was upsetting for us both, but the main issue was the theft of irreplaceable personal items like pearl wedding jewellery.

“He also tried to steal the two tins of Roses and Quality Street we had bought for our grandchildren but left them in the garden after he had presumably been disturbed.

“It was as late as February, when booking a holiday, that we realised that my wife’s passport had been stolen in the same raid, which brought it all back.

“With good behaviour I guess this low-life will be out in 18 to 24 months and will probably be back to his old ways soon after.

“At least the residents of Warrington can sleep easy for this period of time knowing he is in a jail somewhere.”