A Cambridgeshire burglar who is already serving a ten-year sentence admitted carrying out further thefts and break-ins as he wanted to "clear up" his offending history.

Steven Craggs, 45, was jailed for four years in April 2019 after admitting burglaries in Murrow, Kings Lynn and Swavesey but had six more years added in October last year.

While in prison he requested a visit from police to ‘clear up’ his offending history which included burglaries and attempted burglaries in Yelling, Pidley, Offord Cluny, Ely, Burwell, Huntingdon, Fulbourn and Sandy.

Craggs, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to eight counts of burglary, attempted burglary and theft of a motor vehicle, as well as admitting a further ten burglaries which were taken into consideration when he was sentenced.

Two years into his time in prison, Craggs was visited by police on 27 April this year after requesting another visit to admit offences in the Huntingdon and Godmanchester areas.

On January 14, 2019, he smashed conservatory doors at a house in Eagle Way, Hartford, and stole diamond engagement and eternity rings, an iPad, laptops, bags of money and a box of Malteasers.

Craggs admitted a charge of burgling the home in Eagle Way and stealing more than £5,000 worth of items.

He appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday (7 December) where he was sentenced to 876 days to run alongside his existing ten-year sentence.

Ten counts of burglary and one of attempted burglary were also taken into consideration when imposing the latest sentence.

When asked about his motivation for coming clean, Craggs said he wanted to give some closure to the victims, apologise for his actions and let them know they hadn’t been targeted for any reason other than an opportunistic break-in for someone who was offending for drugs.

Detective Sergeant James Rabbett, from the force’s Acquisitive Crime Team who investigate burglaries, said: “Craggs is a prolific burglar who has an extensive criminal history.

“When we visited Craggs earlier this year, it was evident he was clean from drugs and keen to clear up his offending history once and for all.”

Support and advice for those suffering with substance misuse and addictions can be found on the force website here https://bit.ly/3dw8vim.

Advice on how to best protect your home from burglars can be found here https://bit.ly/3dNm7Gt.