A burglar who celebrated his release from a 40 month prison sentence by breaking into a family home within 17 hours was sent straight back to jail.
Colin Jones was released from HMP Northumberland at 10am on December 14 after completing a jail term for burglary and by 3am on December 15 he was at it again.
He broke into a family home in Ashington, Northumberland, while a mum and her three young daughters were asleep and stole the family car and other items.
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Now Jones, who has racked up 171 previous convictions over the past 30 years, has been jailed for four-and-a-half years at Newcastle Crown Court.
Recorder Richard Wright QC told him: "You lasted not 24 hours before you resorted to your old habits in deliberately violating the home of a member of the public by breaking into her home, a house that contained three children asleep in bed.
"They were, no doubt, traumatised by the knowledge somebody crept into their home and violated it in the way you did.
"You are a professional burglar of houses.
"The public are, at least, given a break from you while you are locked up. That's the only way in which the public can be protected from you and your burgling ways."
During the break in, Jones stole a £16,500 Vauxhall Grandland as well as cash, a phone belonging to one of the children and an Aldi receipt.
Police later found the car in Newcastle and Jones returned to it and was arrested.
The victim of the burglary said: "This has had a significant effect on me and my daughter was freaked out at the thought of someone being in our home while we were sleeping.
"I did leave the door open by accident but no one has the right to come in and steal from me."
The court heard Jones, 43, was homeless after being released from prison but had rebuffed attempts by the Probation Service to help him.
Penny Hall, defending, said he did want help and claimed he had stolen the car to sleep in while he found somewhere to stay.
Detective Constable Jon Mullen of Northumbria Police said: “The saying ‘old habits die hard’ is particularly true in the case of Colin Jones.
“He celebrated his release by having drinks with a friend before deciding to gift himself with a new car.
“Sadly for Jones, he’d already proved before that he wasn’t great at evading police and he was arrested quickly by our officers and charged just as fast.”
DC Mullen added: “No one deserves to have their home evaded and their hard earned property stolen and I welcome last week’s sentence.
“I sincerely hope Jones spends the next few years considering his actions and planning for a better future.”
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