A MAN who ransacked two homes in the run up to Christmas, making off with presents, toys, jewellery and heirlooms, has today been jailed for 27 months.

Nicky Ellis, 32, was a drug addict wanting money to fuel his habit and to buy festive gifts for his own family, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Ellis, of Albert Terrace, Oakenshaw, Bradford, had previously been in jail for housebreaking and handling stolen goods.

He pleaded guilty to burgling houses in Westfield Lane, Wyke, Bradford, and Taylor Road, Odsal, Bradford, on December 10 last year.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said the first property was home to a retired couple who had lived there for nearly 30 years.

Among the haul was a laptop computer, mobile phone, commemorative coins and children's toys.

Ellis and an accomplice, who has not been caught, next targeted a care worker's home. They made an untidy search of the rooms and made off with a large quantity of commemorative coins, jewellery and a Stihl saw.

Ellis was arrested in the area after being seen behaving suspiciously in a van in which police found property stolen from the two break-ins.

Ellis's barrister, Jon Gregg, said his client had planned to marry in August. He had completed a computer course while on remand in prison.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Roger Thomas QC, said house burglars almost invariably ended up going straight to prison and Ellis would be no exception.