A PROLIFIC burglar who netted thousands of pounds worth of stolen property during 11 raids at homes around Suffolk has been jailed for four years.

Heroin addict Daniel Beresford’s spree of offending was brought to an end with his arrest in June following a dramatic police chase during which he collided with a car as he overtook a slow moving bus, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Beresford, 23, of Handel Walk, Colchester, admitted three offences of burglary, dangerous driving and asked for eight offences of burglary to be considered.

Jailing him for four years Judge John Holt said Beresford had been sentenced in 2008 to a three-year prison sentence for house burglaries and had been on licence when he committed the latest offences.

Judge Holt said he had read a statement made by the victim of one of the burglaries who described the devastating effect the burglary had on his family.

Michael Crimp, prosecuting told the court on June 29 Beresford had burgled a detached house on the edge of the village of Bredfield and had stolen jewellery and coins.

At 12.55pm that day police officers saw a green Renault Laguna car, driven by Berseford, in Saddlemakers Lane in Melton and when they approached the vehicle it had been reversed at speed and driven off along the A12 towards Woodbridge.

At one stage the car had overtaken a slow moving bus in Pytches Road in Woodbridge and had been met head-on by a car driven by an elderly lady.

Beresford had driven half on to the kerb in a bid to pass the car but had collided with the near-side of the vehicle causing �1,000 damage, said Mr Crimp.

Shortly afterwards in the area of The Thoroughfare and Sun Lane, Beresford had cut across the path of an oncoming lorry in what a policeman described as an “extremely dangerous manoeuvre”.

After losing sight of the car officers had eventually come across it in Victoria Road and had arrested Beresford.

Property stolen from the Bredfield burglary was recovered and Beresford had co-operated with police by identifying other properties he had broken into.

Mr Crimp said these included a house in Beaconsfield Road, Aldeburgh, from which property worth around �10,000 was stolen and a house in Tunstall Road, Iken, from which a gold watch worth thousands of pounds and �200 cash were stolen.

Other burglaries committed by Beresford had taken place at premises in Edwardstone, Hoo, Grundisburgh and Swilland.

Tariq Khawam, for Beresford, said he had committed offences to fund his heroin addiction and accepted that he had a dreadful record for offences of burglary.

He had co-operated fully with the police by identifying homes he had broken into and was keen to make changes in his life.