Burglar who moved from London to Dudley is locked up for three years

Dwayne Gerald, whose previous convictions involved 43 separate offences in the London area, moved to Dudley to live with his mother after being released from his most recent jail term in 2017, a judge heard.

The 28-year-old was walking home from a friend’s address when temptation got the better of him at 3am on March 22, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Gerald started trying the door handles of properties as he strolled past them and managed to get into a house in Tilston Drive, Brierley Hill, without waking the couple who live there.

He snatched a Tesco card from a table and picked up a rucksack containing an iPad and other electrical equipment, revealed Mr Marc Davies, prosecuting.

But he was seen running away and got barely 100 yards away before being cornered by police.

A search revealed the stolen gift card and the rucksack, with the contents intact, was discovered nearby.

The victims were ‘very shaken’ when they realised their home had been burgled while they slept, continued the prosecutor.

Mr Mukhtar Ubhi, defending, said: “He has let himself down. All of his previous offences had been committed in the London area, so when he was released from his most recent sentence he decided to stay away from that area and the influences that had led him to commit the offences.

"He came to live with his mother so she could try to keep him on the straight and narrow and had the chance of of Network Rail apprenticeship when he committed this offence.”

Gerald from Burnham Court, Lower Derry Street, Brierley Hill was jailed for three years by Judge Michael Challinor.