A 44-YEAR-old drug addict who committed a string of high value shop thefts to fund his habit has been jailed for two years.

Anthony Britton, of Victoria Road, Eccleshill, admitted entering a number of high street retailers, including Morrisons, Next, Boots, Co-op, B&Q, Aldi and B&M Stores, to steal expensive electrical items totalling around £3,000.

He stole light fittings, Dyson vacuum cleaners, hair straighteners, and Karcher pressure washers, in a bid to sell on the items and buy drugs from the proceeds.

He earlier admitted committing 16 shop thefts between May last year and early June this year. He also admitted common assault in relation to making “verbal threats” to a store security officer who challenged him in one of the incidents.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Britton had a “very lengthy record” of previous offences, with a total of 34 convictions covering 99 offences.

Abigail Langford, prosecuting, detailed how Britton had been targeting “high value” items in repeated shop thefts amounting to hundreds of pounds.

She outlined how he stole light fittings worth £120 from Next in Guiseley as well as £200 Dyson vacuum cleaners from another store, on more than one occasion.

He also stole hair straighteners worth £470 from Boots, two drills from B&Q worth £290, Karcher pressure washers from Aldi in Bingley worth £180, and a basket full of razorblades worth £268 from Morrisons in Guiseley.

“These are high value items and are being stolen persistently,” said Ms Langford, adding that only some of the items were recovered.

Shufqat Khan, for Britton, said his client had been battling with a relationship with Class A drugs for 20 years.

After pleading guilty at an earlier court hearing Britton was made the subject of a daytime curfew, from 8.30am to 8pm to prevent his committing further shop theft offences.

“It’s a source of some pride for him that by and large he’s managed to stick by that curfew,” he told the court. He added Britton was motivated to address the underlying problem and this was his opportunity to “break the cycle”.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, the Recorder of Bradford, said Britton had set about a “massive, systematic and sustained” string of shop thefts in order to sell the “high value electrical goods” to “put drugs in your body”.

He rejected Mr Khan’s call for him to be given a chance to work with probation, sentencing Britton to two years in prison, with 11 days from his qualifying curfew to be taken into account.