A KIDDERMINSTER burglar who struck at houses across Wyre Forest and grew cannabis at his home has been jailed for six years and eight months.

David Lyness, 55, targeted houses within a five mile radius of his home in Silver Street, while the owners were away and stole valuable items, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright said Lyness had shown no remorse though the victims of the burglaries were mainly elderly and vulnerable and described the untidy searches carried out as a “violation”.

Lyness denied six burglaries but was found guilty by a jury in December. He admitted growing cannabis and after a hearing the court accepted that he had been growing it for himself and his partner, who were both heavy users.

Ben Close, prosecuting, said police went to Lyness’ home in January 2015, after some of the stolen items, four model locomotives, were bought for £50 each at a car boot sale in Gloucestershire. Lyness was picked out in an ID procedure.

Police found 93 cannabis plants in a sophisticated growing set up in the loft, which had been sectioned off into three rooms – some with the potential street value of up to £11,000 per harvest.

Police also found items from four burglaries which had taken place in the approach to Christmas in 2014.

The first raid took place between October 3, and October 14, 2014, in Kidderminster Road, in Bewdley.

A quartz clock, two ornamental Toby jugs and a set of knives with distinctive mother of pearl handles were taken.

In the same week, Lyness broke into a house in Chester Road South and stole a large grandfather clock and a cuckoo clock.

Between December 10, and December 14, 2014, locomotives, a china brooch, a copper pot, a pewter pot and a five-piece silver dining service were taken from Brookfield in Blakebrook.

Lyness was bailed and in April, the police returned to his home to find he had duplicated the cannabis set up and was growing more plants.

In April, Lyness was also caught red handed in an empty property in Kidderminster, which was being renovated, after a neighbour heard noises and called the police. Between October 2014 and March 2015 he also raided homes in Clent and Belbroughton.

The court heard Lyness had convictions for burglary, assault and drugs offences which had started in the 1970s.

Michael Aspinall, defending, said he had last been in trouble in 1990s. He had been a heavy cannabis user for 30 years and was well known to the police in Kidderminster.

His wife, who was earlier given a three months sentence suspended for 12 months for allowing the cannabis to be grown in her home, was now pregnant. Mr Aspinall said Lyness had been a full-time carer for her.

Judge Cartwright said Lyness had developed burglary skills when he was a young man and described himself as a semi-professional car booter, using this as a camouflage to sell the stolen goods.

He said there were no dealer’s lists or text messages and no clear evidence that Lyness had intended to sell the cannabis and he would be sentenced on the basis that it was for his own use.

He was given eight months for the drugs offence and six years for the burglaries, minus the time spent on remand in custody and on a qualifying curfew.