A convicted burglar who travelled by bus to look for a house to break into has been jailed for 20 months after £1,550 of property was raided from a teacher’s home in Baildon.

Jake Underwood, 25, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on a video link to HMP Hull after he was locked up for breaching his bail conditions.

Underwood, of the Old County Court, Manor Row, Bradford, pleaded guilty to burgling the house and making off with irreplaceable items, including a ring, earrings, a bracelet and badges the home owner had collected on her travels.

Prosecutor Paul Canfield said he admitted travelling to Baildon on a bus on the afternoon of June 15 to look for homes to steal from.

The address that he targeted made it the second burglary the teacher had suffered there in three years and the fourth since she had lived in the family property as an adult.

Underwood threw a brick through a rear window causing £400 damage and climbed in cutting his leg and leaving blood at the scene.

His haul included an iPhone, jewellery collected by the victim on her travels abroad and a box of irreplaceable badges from around the world.

Underwood told the police he had sold the items in shops and pubs.

The teacher said in her victim personal statement that the break-in was “a complete violation” of her home.

Irreplaceable mementos of her life had been stolen and blood left on her belongings and the carpet.

Underwood had 31 previous convictions for 44 offences.

The court heard that these offences included a house burglary, an attempted burglary, robbery and handling stolen goods.

His barrister, Rebecca Young, said he had not taken any tools to the scene to use in the burglary.

Underwood was ashamed and remorseful, and having a difficult time when he committed the offence, the court was told.

Judge Ahmed Nadim said Underwood had a bad criminal record for a man of his age and he had repeatedly breached court orders.

The offence was planned as he travelled to Baildon to identify a house to attack.

He then stole a number of items of great sentimental value. They were mementos of the teacher’s life experiences that she would find difficult to replace.

She had struggled to sleep since, had to take time off work and was thinking of moving house to try to restore her peace of mind.

Judge Nadim said such offending caused immeasurable distress to the victims, damag-ing their health and emotional well-being.