A BURGLAR fled an 81-year-old Newport woman's home after she shouted at him as light from his torch flitted across her bedroom wall, a court was told.

Joseph Curley was described by Judge Tom Crowther QC as a "career burglar" from whom the public must be protected, and jailed the 42-year-old for four years and two months for the break-in at the pensioner's home in Cefn Road, Rogerstone, last month.

The burglary, in the early hours of December 15, was Curley's third in five days. On December 11, he broke into a cafe at Langton's on Charles Street, Newport, stealing £250 and jewellery from a cash box.

Having previously pleaded guilty to both burglaries, he asked at a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court for a further offence to be taken into consideration. The latter occurred on December 14, when he broke into, and stole items worth £1,500 from offices at the city's velodrome.

The court was told Curley thought the woman's home was empty and broke in using a metal bar, taking from downstairs rooms foreign currency, a bottle of whisky and other items found on him when arrested shortly afterwards.

The woman, who lives alone, woke at 2am and heard noises but thought they were caused by her boiler, until she saw torchlight from the landing moving across the wall.

Shaken, she shouted "what the hell is going on?" and the intruder run downstairs and out. She then saw him from a window, hurrying off with a bag over his shoulder.

The cafe owner told police she served a man coffee on December 11, despite him not having enough money.

That evening she learned of the break-in and, not recalling seeing him leave, thought he had waited inside until closing time. But Curley later told police he entered through a rear gate and an open window, later selling the jewellery for £80 drug money.

Defence counsel Ben Waters said Curley, of Faraday Close, Malpas, Newport, was on licence from prison when the offences were committed and had a "horrendous" record of previous convictions, including 32 burglaries.

"He is extremely remorseful for his offending, especially the house burglary. He did not know the woman was there, and was so elderly. He has elderly parents himself and is very contrite," said Mr Waters, who added that drug addiction "appeared the sole motivation."

Judge Crowther said the cafe burglary, for which he handed down a concurrent one year sentence, had been an "extraordinarily mean offence after the kindness (the owner) had shown you."

Of the house burglary, he said:"You must have known the occupant was present and was elderly. You caused her great upset.

"You have an unenviable record and are a career burglar. I accept you were driven by a drug problem, but previous convictions demonstrate that you return inevitably to burglary. The public needs to be protected from you."