A SERIAL burglar and thief has been jailed for more than two and a half years after breaking into student halls and spending the night in one empty flat before stealing from another.

Leanne Harrison, 39, of Southfield Lane, Little Horton, appeared before Bradford Crown Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary. The court heard that the prolific offender had a total of 66 previous convictions for 150 offences, and that the latest offence made her a “three-strike” burglar.

Prosecutor Michael Smith told the court that Harrison had broken into Revis Barber Halls, Laisteridge Lane, on August 4 and 5.

“The premises were a university students’ halls of residence which was effectively unoccupied for the summer.

“One of the flats she broke into was fully furnished and contained the belongings of a students.

“The other flat was furnished but occupied.”

He said that Harrison forced the magnetic doors open to gain entry to the block at around 5pm on August 4 and was caught on CCTV going round the property forcing further internal doors.

The following morning CCTV showed her leaving wearing clothing from one of the flats and pushing a mountain bike.

She had stolen around £2,000 worth of items from the one flat, including the bike and clothing, as well as a television and a war medal.

Mr Smith added that the TV had been moved to the adjacent flat where Harrison essentially spent the night.

In a victim impact statement, the physiotherapy student whose flat she burgled described being upset and angry after the break-in and that he struggled to concentrate on his studies and work placement.

The court heard that Harrison had a long list of previous convictions, many for dishonesty, beginning in the mid-90s.

Ash Khullar, for Harrison, said she had a “significant history of acquisitive offending” and that this was down to a long-standing Class A drug addiction.

“It has destroyed her life and left her destitute and homeless,” he said.

He added that at the time of this burglary she had needed somewhere to sleep.

While she has been remanded in custody, he added, she has been taking a daily does of methadone in an effort to tackle her drug addiction.

Judge Jonathan Rose sentenced Harrison to 876 days in prison for the burglaries and activated a suspended sentence order for 56 days.

He said: “You are a person who demonstrates the ruination caused by Class A drugs.

“I see far too often men and women like you whose lives have been ruined by Class A drugs – and it often leads sadly to a life of crime.”

He added that it was not too late for her to take the steps needed to stay free from drugs – and crime.

He urged her to deal with her addiction so that upon release she would not “have the burden of finding money for the next fix”.