A PROLIFIC thief embarked on a 10-day “determined campaign of systematic burglary”, striking at seven homes and stealing two cars.

Ryan Crowther targeted homes throughout the city, sometimes in “untidy day burglaries” and at other times creeping into homes where children were sleeping in the dead of the night.

The 26-year-old, who has already been convicted of more than 80 offences, stole beloved family jewellery, bank cards, cash and wallets as well as a Nissan car and Mercedes van from homes in West End Road, Edelvale Road, Wynter Road, Balaclava Road and Oaktree Road.

Sentencing him to six years’ jail at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Christopher Parker QC said Crowther’s actions had left homeowners feeling scared to stay in their properties.

Crowther’s drug-fuelled catalogue of offending began days after he broke off the electronic tag he had been wearing following a long stint in prison sentence for similar offences.

Prosecutor Gemma White said Crowther then “embarked on a spree of dwelling burglaries throughout the area and around a quarter-of-a-mile from where he had been staying with his partner”.

His first burglary was in June struck in the afternoon of June 10, stealing debit and credit cards from the home and using them at the nearby Alpine News Store, on Vanguard Road.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the homeowner said his family had been concerned about him staying in the house since the incident and that the financial impact on his life had been “annoying”.

Five days later, the court was told, Crowther’s offending intensified - another home was broken into, this time with the defendant using tools from the property’s shed to gain access.

On June 17, Crowther then broke into three further homes, including stealing a self-employed electrician’s van.

This left the victim around £1,000 worse off as he had lost tools inside the van, as well as his credit cards, which Ms White said were later found in Crowther’s partner’s home.

Crowther’s reign of offending was bought to an end after neighbours of another home captured him on CCTV.

“To their horror, they found that Crowther had even targeted their home before going to the other house across the road,” Ms White added.

Crowther pleaded guilty to seven dwelling burglaries, one attempted burglary, two charges of stealing a vehicle and fraud.

Other matters were also taken into consideration by Judge Parker QC, including other burglaries, as he passed his sentence.

In mitigation, Joanne Chester told the court that Crowther, whose address was given as HMP Winchester, had got clean from drugs following a stint in prison, but when he was released returned to abusing drugs.

“He lost the plot before this offending and went into a dark hole,” Ms Chester said.

“He went on a binge and has little recollection of what happened during these incidents.

“He does have a horrendous record but is very sorry for the pain he has caused.”

Judge Parker QC, who described the spree as a “determined campaign of systematic burglary”, added: “These types of burglaries can be absolutely devastating, because you are going into someone’s home.

“Some people are too frightened to return because of what you have done.”