A SERIAL female burglar who carried out a number of “terrifying” raids after just being released from prison is back behind bars.

“Heavily intoxicated” mother-of-five Lisa Case was caught after being confronted by a homeowner who asked to borrow her mobile phone to call the police.

The 35-year-old, formerly of Heron Way, Duffryn, Newport, waited until officers arrived to arrest her.

Case was jailed for three and a half years at Cardiff Crown Court after pleading guilty to three counts of burglary.

Prosecutor Jenny Yeo said the defendant had 42 previous convictions for 112 offences which included six previous convictions for eight house burglary offences.

The court heard how Case had carried out three raids at homes in the Cardiff Road and Gaer areas of Newport last October.

Miss Yeo told the judge, Recorder Lucy Crowther, how the defendant had been confronted in all of the burglaries.

During the first raid, the home owner was “shocked” to wake up and find Case in her bedroom who asked her: “Have you got a light?”

The victim’s son told her to leave but took a photograph of the defendant on his mobile phone.

It was only after she had departed that they realised an iPhone had been stolen.

In the second burglary, the occupant found Case in her home who asked her if she had seen someone called Rio.

Nothing was taken but the complainant saw the defendant leave in a white Mercedes car.

Miss Yeo said that in the final raid, the home owner’s 17-year-old daughter “screamed” when she came across Case holding a bottle of vodka.

It was here that she was arrested after handing over her phone so that the police could be called.

Ieuan Bennett, mitigating, said his client wanted to apologise to her victims for the ordeals she had put them through.

He added: “She has had a very troubled life and in part she has been vulnerable and has been exploited by others.”

Mr Bennett told the court that for these offences “at least one man driving an expensive Mercedes was orchestrating matters”.

He said: “Somebody helped her take drugs and sent her into these houses to steal things and waited to spirit her away at the end of the day.”

Recorder Lucy Crowther told Case these offences must have been “terrifying” for her victims.

She added: “This will have had a huge impact on their lives.”