A BURGLAR has been sent to prison after he ransacked a family home just three days before Christmas.

Jonathan Peter Heron, 28, previously pleaded guilty at Vale Royal Magistrates Court to burglary and attempted burglary, and asked for six other offences to be taken into consideration.

At Chester Crown Court, Sion ap Mihangel, prosecuting, said Heron had broken into the home in Princes Avenue, Northwich, through an original Edwardian stained-glass window which was under a protection order.

Mr Mihangel explained that owner Christopher Malcolm returned home to find the lights were on.

Mr Mihangel said: 'Mr Malcolm said he found his two dogs cowering with fright in the corner. All doors and drawers were flung open and the contents on the floor.

'This being only a few days before Christmas - there were presents for the children pre-wrapped and under the tree. These had been torn open and left on the floor.

'Mr Malcolm described the upstairs bedrooms saying, 'They were turned upside down. Everything was open and turned out onto the floor. Nothing had been left alone'.'

Mr Malcolm found drops of blood in the house belonging to Heron. Mr Mihangel said the window had been damaged beyond repair, and £2,391 worth of items had been taken, including a Sony PlayStation, jewellery, cameras, cash and perfumes.

The attempted burglary related to a house in Church Road belonging to teacher Linda Pilkington. Miss Pilkington had returned to her home on January 6 to find a window in her dining room smashed and glass scattered in the room.

Heron was arrested at his home. Later, he told police he had gone to the house to burgle it, but lost his nerve halfway through.

Defending, Anna Price told Recorder of Chester Judge Elgan Edwards that Heron had recently been involved in a suicide attempt while in prison. She said: 'Various sentencing options have been used in the past and it is clear that custody is not working.

'A drug treatment and testing order is the only thing that hasn't been tried, and at this point he may have realised which way his life is heading. Unless something happens now nothing will ever change.'

She said he would have the support of his mother and long-term girl-friend. She added: 'At some point he has to take responsibility for his own life, at some point he has to sort it out.'

But Judge Elgan Edwards told Heron: 'Yours is a very serious position, and I'm afraid custody is quite inevitable in your case.'

He sentenced Heron to two years in prison for each count to run concurrently, adding: 'I hope you can deal with your problems because next time you come here you will be facing a minimum of four years.'