A BURGLAR described as a menace to his own family has been jailed for a year.

Aaron Illingworth, 20, was previously convicted of separate break-ins at his sister's and parents' homes, Teesside Crown Court was told.

In the first incident on September 9 last year, in David Road, Stockton, Illingworth had jumped over a garden wall and managed to open a bathroom window, although nothing was stolen from inside the property.

Having been arrested and bailed, on October 7 he was spotted climbing out of a rear ground floor kitchen window in Southfield Road, Stockton.

A number of items belonging to his parents, including an unspecified amount of cash from three money boxes, were stolen by Illingworth in the raid.

Illingworth, of no fixed address, also admitted possession of a small amount of cannabis.

Uzma Khan, mitigating, said he was an immature man who had now had time to reflect on his actions.

She said: “He is estranged from his family and something of a menace [to them].”

Judge Peter Armstrong remarked that the burglaries appeared to be committed more out of boredom, rather than to feed a regular drugs habit.

He told Illingworth: “You have only got one family in life and if you carry on like this you will alienate them and things will go from bad to worse.”

Jailing him for 12 months, he said the defendant would be given a three year minimum jail term if he came back before the courts for burglary again.