A BURGLAR who left behind “tell-tale deposits” of blood and DNA has been jailed.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Lee Farrell climbed up scaffolding and into through an unsecure roof to steal bathroom furniture and copper piping worth £528 from an unoccupied house in Villa Mount in Wyke in an overnight burglary on July 11/12, 2023.

He was identified from blood left at the scene.

Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed said seven days later Farrell used a crowbar to break into the garage of a house on Woodkirk Road in Bradford, but an alarm alerted the owner, who confronted him.

The two men struggled and the householder was slightly injured in a fall to the floor. Farrell fled leaving behind the crowbar containing his DNA.

On October 1, Farrell was seen in a car with a woman who was distressed. A police officer made inquiries and spoke to Farrell, who gave false details.

He then became hostile and pushed the officer before running off.

Farrell later admitted all charges. Burglaries at Westfield Road, Bradford, and at the Wyke Lion public house in Wyke, where damage estimated at £1,300 was caused, were also taken into account.

Mitigating for Farrell, of Huddersfield Road, Bradford, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, Lauren Smith said he was addicted to drugs at the time of the burglaries and was desperate for money to fund his habit.

She said he had worked to escape his addictions since being held in custody and pleaded for a suspended sentence on his behalf.

Sentencing 39-year-old Farrell to 12 months and two weeks in prison Mrs Recorder Taryn Turner said he had “a pretty dreadful record of previous convictions” including theft, robbery, and burglary dating back to 1998.

She imposed a 12-month jail sentence for the Woodkirk Road burglary, eight months for the break-in at Villa Mount to be served concurrently, two months for the “unpleasant and serious” assault on the police officer, also to be served concurrently, and 14 days for failing to surrender to police, to be served consecutively.

She rejected calls for a suspended sentence saying only an immediate custodial sentence was appropriate.