Serial burglar says sorry for 'pain' he caused his victims

WIDOWER DEVASTATED BY LOSS OF WIFE'S JEWELLERY

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

A VICTIM of a serial burglar told how losing jewellery which belonged to his late wife "feels like the loss of part of her".

In his victim impact statement the man, from Wilford, added that watches taken by Craig Mercer had been gifted to him by his late brother.

The 35-year-old's crime spree saw him target the homes of elderly people south of the River Trent, breaking into key safes and letting himself into their properties whether they were in or not.

The defendant, who has 11 house break-ins on his record, has been handed his longest prison term yet.

Jailing him for six-and-a-half years, Judge James Sampson said: "This was a professional enterprise. You target homes with key safes and you entered regardless of whether the occupants were at home or not, and sometimes they were.