Pigeon in for theft
Her husband added they had no home insurance and have been left £3,000 out of pocket and the loss of the engagement and wedding rings has been “emotionally distressing”.
He said: “We don’t know why he has targeted our house, we have not fallen out with him nor been involved in any disputes.”
Mr Pallister said Armstrong has “what can only be described as an appalling record” stretching back to 1988.
Of his 443 previous offences, 268 are for thefts and burglaries, mainly of non-dwellings.
Armstrong, of Brittania Place, pleaded guilty to two burglaries and was jailed for three years.
Jamie Adams, defending, said: “He says he has not claimed benefits for the last 15 years and he has become frightened, almost, to go to the job centre.
“His partner has said she would take him to the job centre and it’s obvious he is scared about it.
“He is going about stealing because he is not getting benefits.
“Asking him what it’s like stealing all the time, he says it’s very hard.
“He is not a completely wicked man, they are not the worst of offences, comparatively speaking.
“As a human being he is a bit adrift in his life.”
It was once supposed he earned his Pigeon nickname after becoming known as a thief who ‘feeds off scraps.’
But in 2010 Armstrong said in court that he is actually named after his father, who was also called William and kept pigeons.