A burglar who stole high value items from Harpenden and Welwyn Garden City in one night has received a three year community order.

Dean Sarney, 31, of Parkhouse Court in Hatfield, pleaded guilty to four offences of burglary and two offences of stealing a car at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, July 20.

Overnight on April 18 and 19 last year, Sarney first broke into a house in Great North Road in Welwyn Garden City by forcing a front door open and then stole the family’s £11,000 BMW from the drive way.

He used it to get to Harpenden where he broke into three more houses.

Judge Jonathan Carroll, hearing the case, was told at two of the four homes he broke in to the resident were upstairs in bed.

The court also heard Sarney had been a prolific burglar, often committing crimes to fund his addiction to hard drugs.

From Welwyn Garden City Sarney made his way in the car to Harpenden where he broke in to a house in Coldharbour Lane.

From there he made his way to Ox Lane in Harpenden where he broke into two more homes.

High value items were taken, including an Audi car.

The court was told Sarney was arrested the next day in Luton and in the car he was driving a "burglar’s kit" of tools he had used hours earlier to carry out the break-ins.

A partial show print left behind at the scene of the Coldharbour Lane burglary was found to match the Nike trainers Sarney was wearing when he was arrested.

Sarney had been assesses top see if he was a suitable candidate to go on the Choices and Consequences Scheme that runs in Hertfordshire and has been designed to help offenders break away from a life of committing crime often against a background of drug addiction.

But to get on the scheme, which is an alternative to going to prison, offenders have to demonstrate they have the motivation and desire to turn their back on their old lives.

They have to work closely with probation staff, carry out unpaid work, attend drug rehabilitation courses and subject themselves to regular drug testing to show they are "clean".

Judge Carroll heard an assessment of Sarney's desire and motivation and concluded he was indeed a suitable candidate for the Choices and Consequences Scheme often referred to a C2.

The court heard it wasn't the first time Sarney had been deemed eligible to go on a C2 scheme.

Back in 2009 after admitting offences of burglary and asking for 309 similar offences to be considered he was admitted to the Choices and Consquences Scheme.

But it had proved too tough for him on that occasion and after breaching the order he was sent back to prison.

Judge Carroll was told the recent arrival of Sarney's first child, a baby daughter, had a dramatic effect of making him realise it was time to change his ways.

In court he told the judge from the witness box he now wanted to find work so he could support his family.

Such was his determination to mend his ways the court was told that off of his own back Sarney had sought out the help of a group called Cocaine Annonymous to help him tackle his drug habit.

The judge told Sarney if he hadn't been accepted onto the C2 scheme he would have been looking at a prison service of some eight years because of his previous record.

He was then told he would therefore receive a three year community order under the C2 scheme and he would be under the supervision of the probation service for the whole period.

Sarney will have to perform 200 hours of unpaid work and be subject to a home curfew between 9pm and 6am for the next eight weeks.

He will also be the subject of a 24 month drug rehabilitation programme and will have to continue attending Cocaine Annonymous, as well as subject to regular drug testing.

He was told any lapse and it would be considered a breach meaning he would be sent to prison for eight years.