A prolific burglar who is serving a jail term for a string of break-ins has told a jury that two burglaries at houses in Melton were committed by him and not by a 33-year-old man who is standing trial for them.

Billy Smith, 26, was brought from prison to Ipswich Crown Court as a defence witness in the case of Adrian Mills, of St Andrew’s Place, Melton, who has denied breaking into two houses in Hall Farm Road, Melton, on September 7 last year.

Giving evidence Smith, formerly of West Meadows, Ipswich, said he had committed the two burglaries in Hall Farm Road and denied he was taking the blame for them to help out Mills who had been on the same wing as him at Norwich Prison.

Smith told the court that on December 19 he was jailed for six years after admitting three burglaries and asking for 87 other break-ins to be taken into consideration.

He said that in November he had been driven round by police officers to enable him to point out properties he had burgled so that he could wipe the slate clean when he was sentenced in December.

He told the officers he had burgled two properties in Hall Farm Road with someone else but had retracted the admission a week later when the officers said they had concerns about what he had told them and asked if he had been put under pressure from someone in prison to admit the offences.

Giving evidence yesterday, Smith said he had committed the burglaries in Hall Farm Road and cross-examined by prosecution counsel, Mark Roochove, he denied he was trying to help Mills by admitting them.

Giving evidence, Mills said he had been asleep at his home in Melton with his partner at the time of the burglaries.

He denied committing the burglaries and said forensic evidence which allegedly matched training shoes he was wearing when he was arrested was wrong.