A PROLIFIC burglar from Pill has been sent to jail for five years after he stole an elderly woman’s valued rings while she slept.

Brian Riddock took the 78-year-old’s wedding, eternity and engagement rings after he broke into her home in the early hours of the morning.

She woke up at 2am to find the lights on and her belongings disturbed. She later noticed the missing items, which included her purse, and called her daughter and the police.

Riddock, aged 43 of The Withys, appeared at Bristol Crown Court on June 15 to be sentenced for the crime, to which he pleaded guilty.

The court heard he had been stealing to feed his crack addiction and was caught by the police after he tried selling the rings to a pawn shop.

Detective inspector Mark Rolfe said: “The rings were hugely sentimental because they had been given to the victim by her late husband so we were determined to get them back.

“The victim’s daughter provided us with a sketch of them and we immediately alerted local pawn-brokers and told them to keep their eyes peeled.

“As we hoped, the very next day we received a call from one to say they thought someone had just tried to sell them the stolen goods.

“From the description we were confident we knew who the offender was and spent the day hunting for him until he eventually handed himself in.”

The victim has been left terrified following the incident due to the fact Riddock broke in while she slept.

DI Rolfe added: “Entering anyone’s home and taking their property is completely unacceptable but anyone who targets vulnerable victims like this is the lowest of the low.”