Drugged-up burglar who raided Hartlepool home's safe is jailed at Teesside Crown Court

Carl Whitehead, 32, who had taken a number of tablets, broke into a house in the Oxford Road area of Hartlepool overnight in January this year.

The mum who lives there secured her home around midnight before discovering the next morning that she had been burgled.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, at Teesside Crown Court, said: “She woke and saw that the kitchen cupboards had been searched and a safe was opened.

"Missing was a great list of jewellery items.”

Whitehead had also made an untidy search of the front room and stole gadgets including a tablet belonging to her son who has autism and was left very upset by its loss.

In a impact statement, the mum said she had not been sleeping since the burglary and was terrified by any noise in her home.

Mr Soppitt said she recognised Whitehead captured on a neighbour’s CCTV and he was arrested.

Defence barrister Stephen Constantine said Whitehead was “full of tablets” and had very little memory of the break-in.

"He wants to try to lead a normal life.”

Mr Constantine said Whitehead, of Melrose Street, Hartlepool, returned most of the stolen items after seeing a Facebook post by the victim the following day.

But he was imprisoned for more than two years due to his bad record for burglary and similar offences.

Jailing Whitehead for 876 days, Recorder Christopher Williams, said: “You are aware that offences of dwelling house burglary are serious, and you are aware that the law is my hands are tied.”