A drug addict who burgled the flat of an 80-year-old man who had tried to help him with his problems was photographed by a neighbour as he climbed down a ladder with the pensioner’s television, a court has heard.

Sentencing Jason Norman, Judge Rupert Overbury described the offence as mean and said: “I would be failing in my public duty if I passed a suspended sentence on someone like you who deliberately burgled an elderly man’s property.

“The most unsavoury element of this case is that this elderly man took it upon himself to help you in the past and you abused that help by stealing his property.

“The gratitude you expressed towards him for his assistance was to break into his home.

“Anyone who violates the privacy of someone else’s home always causes lasting damage to the occupier’s sense of security and safety in their own home.”

Norman, 34, of Spindle Road, Haverhill, admitted burglary and was jailed for ten months.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that the victim of the burglary lived in a first floor flat in Rowan Close, Haverhill.

On December 9 last year he left his flat at 10.45am and while he was out the police were called by a neighbour who saw Norman climbing out of the victim’s property on to a ladder with a flat screen television.

She took photographs and when police raided Norman’s home they found items of clothing similar to the ones worn by the burglar in the photographs.

A distinctive duvet cover that was wrapped round the TV was also found.

In a victim impact statement the victim of the burglary said he had known about Norman’s drug problems and had tried to help him.

He said that since the burglary he had become a prisoner in his home and had missed out on spending Christmas Day and Boxing Day last year with his son because he didn’t want to leave his flat.

He said he found it hard to understand how someone he had helped could do this to him.

Christopher Jenkins for Norman said his client had a “raging” addiction to heroin and crack cocaine which had been costing him several hundred pounds a day.

“He accepts this is a deeply unsavoury offences and apologises for what he did,” said Mr Jenkins.

He said Norman had taken steps to address his addiction since the burglary.