A prolific burglar who went on a crime spree just days after being released from prison has been jailed for four years.
Robert McNulty, 27, of Domestic Street, Holbeck, Leeds was arrested after being identified on CCTV burgling a house in Monk Bridge Road, Headingley, on September 8.
McNulty pleaded guilty to the offence and later admitted being responsible for 23 other house burglaries across north-west and north-east Leeds.
These offences were taken into consideration when he was sentenced by a judge at Leeds Crown Court.
The court heard McNulty was released from prison on licence on July 25 and burgled a flat in Grosvenor Road, Headingley, just five days later.
He went on to commit the bulk of the other offences in August and September.
Prolific burglar Mark O’Brien has also been jailed for three years at Leeds Crown Court after blood found at the scene of a break-in last month was identified as his.
O’Brien, 24, of Norwich Avenue, Hunslet, stole expensive items including a laptop computer, a mobile phone and jewellery when he targeted the house in Henry Avenue, Wortley, on October 19.
He had been released in August after being recalled to prison for failing to comply with licence conditions which were placed on him following an earlier release.
Det Chf Insp Fran Naughton, of West Yorkshire Police’s North West Leeds Division, said: “Burglary continues to be a top priority for the police and partner agencies, and we will continue to relentlessly target hardcore offenders who are behind the majority of crimes.
“We hope these latest successes will serve as a warning to others that they can expect to face the same consequences when we catch them.”
Both men were targeted by north west Leeds division’s proactive crime team.
The team’s work forms part of the ongoing burglary campaign which is being run by the city’s community safety partnership Safer Leeds.