A CAREER burglar has been locked up for 30 years and will now spend even longer behind bars after a string of night raids.

Drug addict Alan Dale, 46, has carried out more than 40 burglaries including in Worcester and Evesham during a criminal career which began in 1987.

He has now spent twice as long in prison as he has on the outside as concerns were raised by a Worcester judge that he had become 'institutionalised' because of his long incarceration.

The habitual burglar is already serving a five year jail sentence having been jailed at Worcester Crown Court in August last year for two burglaries.

He appeared at the city court again via videolink from HMP Hewell on Friday to be sentenced for four burglaries and one attempted burglary, all carried out in Evesham in November 2017.

Dale has previously been convicted of a burglary at the Huntingdon Hall in the Crowngate shopping centre in Worcester and Pan Pizza in the city's New Street.

The latest burglaries included a raid on Bonmarché in Evesham High Street on November 17, 2017 when he gained entry through a skylight into the stockroom and a burglary at Casino Amusements in Bridge Street between November 22 and 23, 2017.

Harinderpal Dhami, prosecuting, said during the raid he stole between £3,000 and £5,000 of cash after 13 gaming machines were jimmied open, causing £2,000 and £3,000 of damage.

He said: “From one of the machines they recovered a fingerprint mark that came back as a match to this defendant.”

There was also a positive DNA match to Dale.

Dale also attempted to burgle the Riverside Shopping Centre in the town on November 18, 2017 when two males, including the defendant, were seen on the roof. A chisel was seized which had Dale’s DNA on it.

Dale also carried out a raid at Saunders Roberts on November 20 into November 21, 2017 when a sash window was smashed and ‘an untidy search’ carried out although it is not believed anything was stolen.

Dale also burgled the Evesham Hotel between November 20 and 21, 2017, using a ladder to gain entry through a first floor window before stealing two laptops.

Footwear impressions were retrieved from the scene linking Dale to the burglary while cell site evidence from his mobile phone also placed him there.

The court heard how Dale had 30 previous convictions for 91 offences dating between December 1987 and August last year. These include 23 offences of non-dwelling burglary and 20 house burglaries.

Mr Dhami, who described Dale as ‘a career burglar’, said: “The defendant has spent 30 years behind bars for all of these offences which, for a man of 46, is a significant part of his adult life serving custodial sentences.”

Jason Aris, for Dale, said the case clearly crossed the custody threshold but that Dale had pleaded guilty to three of the five counts at his first appearance the court.

Mr Aris asked that any custodial sentence imposed be made concurrent (rather than consecutive) to the jail term he is already serving.

He said: “There an element of institutionalism to this defendant’s life which reduces his ability to cope with everyday life in the community. He has spent some 30 years behind bars effectively and is very poorly equipped for release into the community. He doesn’t have the life skills to be able to cope.”

Mr Aris said Dale had been addicted to opiates since the age of 16 and would need intensive support to tackle his addiction.

Recorder Robert Spencer-Bernard said to Dale: “You are a habitual burglar and you are obviously in danger of being institutionalised. You are currently serving a five year sentence for dwelling house burglary and a three year sentence for a non-dwelling burglary.”

The judge jailed him for 24 months which will be served consecutively to the sentence he is already serving. This will effectively add another year to the time Dale has to spend in prison.

No order was made for costs or compensation. Dale will have to pay a statutory surcharge which will be calculated administratively.