A “three strikes” burglar – who used string to secure the door handles at the house he was breaking into – has been jailed for more than two and a half years.

Bradley Robertshaw, 23, used blue nylon string to tie the front door handle to a dustbin to prevent anyone from giving chase, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

The details emerged as he was sentenced for a third burglary offence, which saw him first break into a house in Wyke to take car keys, then drive off in the Ford Fiesta itself.

Robertshaw, of Hillcrest Drive, Queensbury, admitted burglary and theft when he appeared at court.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, sentenced him to 950 days in prison and warned him of the lengthier sentences that would await if he did this kind of thing again.

“The harsh reality is, if you do this again, sentences of five, six or seven years will follow to protect the public and of course to punish you.”

Prosecutor Mark Brookes said that the break in and theft happened at Perseverance Street in Bradford at 4am on September 24 last year.

“At the time the defendant attends the address, somewhat unusually, he ties blue nylon string to the front and rear door handles preventing the occupier from coming out and chasing him.”

The homeowner was woken by a loud bang at 4am in the morning, Mr Brookes told the court, adding: “The defendant had used a stone to break the kitchen window to take the car keys from the sill.”

He described how the homeowner had run downstairs and struggled to open the door, due to Robertshaw having tied the handles as he did.

“The vehicle in question was driven off and in driving off caused some damage to the garden wall,” he added.

Robertshaw was linked to the burglary and theft by DNA found on the nylon string used to secure the property’s doors.

He initially told police he had been working as a window cleaner in the area, which might account for his DNA, but he later pleaded guilty before a trial which had been due to start on Thursday.

Mr Brookes added that the victim had been left with anxiety as a result of the incident and was now reluctant to leave his family alone at the house.

Stephen Wood, for Robertshaw, said this was his first time as a “three strike” offender.

The defendant had listened to advice once the DNA evidence established his connection to the crime, and had pleaded guilty at the “next opportunity,” he added.

In sentencing, Judge Durham Hall described this as a “fairly sophisticated” burglary.

He said: “Somewhat worrying are the steps you took to prevent the occupants leaving the home while you were busy taking their car and damaging their property or boundary wall.”

He added that he gave him credit for having the courage to plead guilty before the trial.