A SERIAL burglar who raided a house in Wordsley and got away with a £2,000 haul including jewellery of great sentimental value has been put behind bars for four years.

Wayne Porter who had only been back on the streets for a matter of days after serving a previous jail term was seen leaving the property in Marine Crescent, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.

It was then discovered he had forced open a patio door and he took goods including a jewellery box containing items given to the victim by her grandparents.

Porter also raided a house in Florence Road, Oldbury, where he wore a sock on his hand to avoid leaving fingerprints but he left it behind and police were able to identify him through DNA testing.

The 29-year-old also broke into houses on The Broadway, Dudley, and Portman Road, Kings Heath, where on both occasions he left drops of blood which again helped police bring about his arrest.

Porter, of Hagley Road, Birmingham, admitted four burglary charges and he was told by Judge John Warner the four-year prison sentence would help protect members of the public from his attentions for a time.

He told Porter his record contained a long list of previous burglaries when he had targeted commercial premises.

The raids on the houses, he added, were particularly serious.

He said: "Items of great sentimental value were taken - mementoes of people's lives that have gone forever."