A BURGLAR who broke into a Suffolk home while the owners’ were at a family funeral has been jailed for 45 months.

During the break-in at Cardinal House in Pouy Street, Sibton, Benjamin Hills, who was with an accomplice, stole jewellery worth £12,000, camera equipment and five shotguns and ammunition, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The owner of the property had been attending his mother’s funeral at the time of the burglary on January 25 and had returned home with his wife to find the property had been ransacked.

In a victim impact statement read to the court the couple said they felt violated by the burglary and had trouble sleeping since it happened.

Hills, 23, of Lincoln Avenue, Saxmundham admitted buglary and possessing firearms and ammunition when prohibited .

Jailing him for 45 months Recorder Simon Farrell said that some of the jewellery stolen during the raid had been of great sentimental value to the owners and had been in the family for several generations.

Robert Sadd, prosecuting, said the burglary had taken place at around 9am and an untidy search had been of all areas of the property.

He said Hills was arrested after someone saw him with a gun near his home in Saxmundham and contacted the police.

Steven Dyble for Hills said his client had broken into the house after finding out it would be unoccupied. He said the purpose of the burglary hadn’t been to steal guns.