A BURGLAR who ransacked every room of a family home during a raid has been jailed.
Darren Graham targeted the property at Sunnyside Lane in Cleadon, which has its own grounds, on July 30, 2006.
Newcastle Crown Court yesterday heard how the 40-year-old covered his hands with socks, scaled barbed wire fencing, and pulled an alar
m system off the wall in a bid to avoid detection.
He was collared two years later when he came to the attention of the police in April for an unrelated matter, and his DNA was matched to the scene.
Graham, of Masefield Drive, South Shields, admitted burglary.
The court heard how the raid, where high value property was stolen, had a devastating affect on the family who lived there.
Householder Fiona Millburn said: "The whole family has been devastated by this.
"Not only the thefts, but the feeling of violation, and the thought of someone taking whatever they wanted from our house.
"I don't feel the same anymore about our lovely house, and don't know if I will ever get over that feeling."
Graham Cook, defending, said Graham has an alcohol problem, which he is trying to combat, and had been drinking on the day of the raid.
Judge Guy Whitburn jailed Graham, who has previous convictions, for 21 months.
The judge said: "You drink far too much and that is a matter for you but, when it impacts upon the public, it becomes a matter for me."
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