A SERIAL burglar has been jailed after he preyed on dog walkers, neighbours and pensioners to feed his drug habit. 

Andrew Molloy carried out four of his raids in the space of just six days after moving to Okehampton from Hatherleigh, where he burgled his next door neighbour.

His victims included an 80-year-old man whose computer was stolen from his living room while he was having a nap upstairs and a 67-year-old retired teacher who woke to find Molloy in her bedroom.

Exeter Crown Court was told he was a serial burglar who had four previous convictions and was on a suspended sentence for previous break-ins after promising to tackle his drug problems.

Molloy, aged 34, of New Road, Okehampton, admitted four burglaries and one attempted burglary and was jailed for five years by Judge Simon Carr.

He told him: ‘You were given a very real chance when you were last before this court in February 2014. You received an extensive package of community support and you initially did well. That tailed away and you returned to your old addiction, which has caused so much harm in the past.

‘There were burglaries of domestic premises and the owners were present on two occasions and could be described as elderly.’

Mr Gareth Evans, prosecuting, said Molloy was living in Main Close, Hatherleigh, in April when he broke into his next door neighbour’s home as she was walking her dogs and stole a mobile phone.

He was seen going into the home by a resident living opposite and the police were alerted. He denied being there but moved from Hatherleigh to Okehampton, where he carried out the next four raids in the space of six days in September.

The first was at a house close to his new home, where he stole a tablet computer and an iPhone with a combined value of £200. The next was an unsuccessful attempt to break into a house in Oakley Drive, where he left blood on a broken window and was traced by DNA.

Four days later he went into the home of an 80-year-old pensioner in North Street, who had left his laptop downstairs while he went for a mid morning nap.

Molloy was caught by CCTV which showed him heading for the house empty handed and leaving with the computer.

The final burglary was two days later at the home of a 67-year-old retired teacher who woke to hear a sound which she assumed to be the postman but then looked out from her duvet to find an intruder in her bedroom.

Mr Evans said: ‘She screamed and Molloy ran away but picked up her handbag as he left. He later told police he threw it in the river because it only contained papers and photographs.’

Miss Emily Cook, defending, said Molloy had been doing well in his attempts to stay away from drugs and crime until a relationship broke up.

He attempted suicide and relapsed into heroin use after being discharged from hospital.