A BURGLAR who ransacked a Bradford pharmacy, netting thousands of pounds of dangerous controlled drugs to sell on to addicts, has been jailed for three years.

Mathew Spaven got away with large quantities of diazapam, morphine, Subutex and needles when he raided the Imaan chemist shop on Manchester Road shortly after 4am on June 7 last year.

“Rather strangely,” he also stole hair dye products, prosecutor Emma Downing told Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Spaven, 30, of Thornton Road, Thornton, Bradford, pleaded guilty to the burglary and to failing to attend court on February 2, when a Bench Warrant was issued for his arrest.

Miss Downing said he smashed his way into the pharmacy through the back door and ransacked it, pulling out drawers and tipping the contents of shelves on to the floor.

He failed to break into a safe containing cash but got away with a second safe full of thousands of pounds of drugs.

None of the drugs or needles had been recovered, all had gone into circulation.

Spaven, who had 42 convictions for 85 offences, left numerous screwdrivers behind at the shop.

He was arrested on July 18 and multiple texts were found on his phone offering to sell the stolen drugs.

Miss Downing said Spaven’s criminal record included ten convictions for burglary, four of them being housebreakings.

His barrister, Kitty Taylor, said Spaven was using drugs at the time and leading a chaotic lifestyle.

He had been recalled to prison on licence for a time and was attacked while back in jail.

“He was left both physically and emotionally scarred by that experience,” Mrs Taylor said and he was now very anxious to keep out of trouble.

Judge David Hatton QC said it was a very serious offence of burglary.

It was a planned, targeted attack that caused £1,000 damage.

“You broke in by smashing the back door and the premises were ransacked. In one safe were highly dangerous controlled drugs that you offered to sell. This was against a background of your appalling criminal history, including numerous offences of burglary.

“To impose anything other than an immediate custodial sentence would send out the wrong messages,” Judge Hatton said.