A cocaine-smoking teenager who was involved in a spate of high-value burglaries has been sent to a young-offender institution for two years and nine months.

Judge Peter Benson said 17-year-old Nathan Niland had been 'running wild'' when he got involved in a series of house break-ins aimed at stealing motor vehicles and other expensive property.

Niland, of Parsonage Road, Tyersal, Bradford, pleaded guilty to burglary of a house in Pudsey and another charge of handling a stolen digital camera, but he went on to confess to police that he was also involved in 44 other offences.

Prosecutor Timothy Capstick told Bradford Crown Court today that the bulk of the offences to be taken into consideration involved house burglary or attempted burglary.

'The total value of the property stolen was £155,000 of which £122,000 worth was recovered,'' said Mr Capstick.

'That encompasses a number of high-value motor vehicles, but there is still about £33,000 of property outstanding.'' Judge Benson heard that Niland was committing offences when he was already subject to a 12-month supervision order and an electronically-monitored curfew for breaking into houses.

Mr Capstick said Niland had previously been made the subject of court orders for burglary and robbery and was given a six-month detention and training order in 2005 for house burglary.

Barrister Richard Mansell, for Niland, said the teenager recognised he faced a sentence of detention for his offending.

'This is a young man who in recent years, and particularly in 2007, has simply been drifting aimlessly through life,'' said Mr Mansell.

'Smoking cocaine. Living from hand-to-mouth and plainly, for a number of months, getting involved in serious burglaries to finance his lifestyle.'' Judge Benson said he had taken account of Niland's age when deciding on the appropriate sentence, but he told the teenager: 'You were clearly involved on a great scale with others going around and committing determined burglaries in order to take away cars and high-value property.

'It is clear to me as a 17-year-old boy you were running wild last year and attacking people's property without any compunction at all.

'It seems to me that given the scale of your offending, the high value involved and the background of your poor record a detention and training order is inadequate in this case.'' After the case, Niland's father Tony Niland, a former Bradford councillor, said he hoped his son's imprisonment would deter others from using drugs.

"Nathan has had a drug problem since he was about 15 and fell in with a bad crowd. He was a good-hearted lad," he said.