A SERIAL offender is behind bars once again after admitting charges of theft, robbery and handling stolen goods.

Joshua Trossell, of Meredith Green in Kidderminster and formerly of Worcester, wept in the dock at Worcester Crown Court as Judge Nicolas Cartwright sentenced him to 16 months in prison.

The 27-year-old had earlier admitted the offences, and at the sentencing hearing prosecutor Thomas Kenning read out Trossell’s entire history of offending – 28 court appearances and 58 offences – which took more than three minutes.

Mr Kenning said the first of the latest offences took place in October 2017, at a farm in Ludlow.

After being arrested, Trossell wrote a confession to police, explaining he was a scrap metal dealer, but accepted he had taken a pony trap without the permission of the owner.

The court then heard that in April this year, Trossell burgled an outbuilding at High Crundells House in Bewdley, stealing more than 200 power tools and a tool set.

Mr Kenning said the theft had happened on April 28, and just a day later Trossell was offending again, this time from another Bewdley property, Habberley Coachhouse.

Another outbuilding was targeted in that offence, with a lawnmower stolen.

Mr Kenning said Trossell's last offence came in May this year, when police stopped the Vauxhall Vectra he was driving in Kidderminster High Street and discovered a stolen generator, worth up to £1,000, in his van.

Defending Trossell, Sabhia Pathan said the father-of-three saw his relationship break down and he went back to taking drugs after he was denied access to his children.

“That was the catalyst for his offending. He felt he let his family down,” Miss Pathan said.

She appealed for a sentence that would give Trossell hope when he came out of prison.

In sentencing, Judge Cartwright said: “You are someone who has committed a string of offences, albeit with a break. But it didn’t stop -that is the aggravating factor.”

Trossell was sentenced to one month prison for breaching a suspended sentence, two months for the theft, 13 months for the burglaries to run concurrently, and two months for handling stolen goods – a total of 16 months.