Burglar who carried out string of raids on homes in Coventry has been sent to jail for six years

then used the keys to steal a BMW and a Ford Ka from outside.

And the first the family knew was when the woman’s mother, who lived next-door, phoned at 7am, having got up and noticed that that cars were not there.

In January this year a couple were away overnight to visit the wife’s sick grandmother, and on returning to their home in Mapleton Road, Coundon, they saw her VW Polo had been taken.

After struggling to get in because a key had been left in the lock from the inside, the couple found a rear window had been smashed and ‘every room and drawer had been untidily searched.’

High value jewellery had been stolen, as well as the key to the Polo which was later found abandoned and burnedout after being involved in a collision in Leicestershire.

On February 22 a Leamington couple returned to their home in Lillington Road to find their £40,000 Range Rover, in which they had a quantity of fencing equipment including masks and epees, had been taken.

A ground floor window at the house had been smashed, and jewellery and watches had been taken during an untidy search. Then on June 27 Campbell took part in a night-time break-in at a house in Hinckley Road, Coventry.

But the owner was woken by an app on his phone which had been activated by a motion sensor in the house.

On realising someone was on the landing outside his bedroom, without opening it, the quickthinking owner rattled the door which caused Campbell and his accomplice to flee.

But they had taken his wallet, cash and the keys to his Mercedes car in which one of them drove off, followed by the other burglar in the Citroen car in which they had arrived.

Not content with that, they then broke into a house in Holyhead Road, Coventry, and took the keys to two VW cars, one of which also had the keys to the husband’s business in it, which they then stole.

The first those householders knew about it was when they police knocked on their door, having arrested Campbell after being called by the previous victim.

Officers had searched the area and seen two men walking away from the Mercedes, which had been left in Grayswood Avenue, and after a chase found Campbell hiding in a nearby wood.

Mr Kolodynski added that Campbell could be linked to the burglaries by his blood and DNA being found in the addresses.

Delroy Henry, defending, said: “He wants to express his apologies and remorse, for what it’s worth.”