A PERSISTENT burglar who repeatedly attacked licensed premises to fund his £600 a day drug addiction has been labelled a menace and locked up for 14 months.

Andrew Houlihan had made people’s lives a misery with his crime spree committed in breach of a community order and then when he was on police bail, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Houlihan, 23, was locked up by Recorder Andrew Dallas after he pleaded guilty to seven offences of burglary and theft.

The homeless Class A drug addict was sentenced on a video link to HMP Leeds where he was remanded.

Prosecutor Erin Kitson-Parker told the court that Houlihan and an accomplice forced their way into the Halifax Bierkeller on Fountain Street at 2.45am on September 23 and made off with alcohol worth £1,000.

Houlihan was back again the next night, breaking in again and filling two plastic bins to flee with alcohol valued at £300.

The court heard that he returned on a third consecutive night and tried to attack the premises but an alarm went off. He left scuff marks on the door and his fingerprints at the scene.

On October 4, he turned his attention to The Old Cock public house in Halifax, kicking in the back door in the early hours. He stole 16 bottles of alcohol but came back to plunder the premises again. In all, he made four visits to the pub that night, getting away with £300 of alcohol, a charity box containing £70 in cash, £50 of lottery money and a phone.

He also admitted theft from a car and stealing £60 of washing pods from Wilkinsons in Halifax.

His final offence, committed when he was on police bail, was burgling the till from the Noco Café in Halifax on October 11. The business suffered more than £1,400 loss and damage.

Houlihan had previous convictions for attempted robbery, burglary, battery and handling stolen goods.

Eleanor Mitten said in mitigation that he was a desperate drug addict spending up to £600 a day on his habit.

He had a traumatic childhood and was homeless and doing labouring jobs when he committed the offences.

He was very remorseful and understood the impact of his crimes on the victims and their livelihoods.

Miss Mitten said Houlihan was making good progress to conquer his drug addiction while in prison on remand.

Recorder Andrew Dallas said he had breached a community order when committing all but one of the offences and he was on police bail when he targeted the café.

They were persistent offences and Houlihan was a menace to the people who had suffered loss at his hands.