A THIRD strike house burglar from Silsden has been jailed for three years after a home was ransacked at dead of night and £5,000 worth of property stolen including a valuable collection of football cards.

Sevi Conley, 27, of Stephenson Drive, was a member of the gang that broke into the address in Burnley on May 15, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Prosecutor David McGonigal said the burglars ransacked the property while the owners were abroad on holiday, making off with items including the football cards, jewellery and games consoles.

The raid on the house netted them goods worth about £5,000 and the intruders also stole the keys to a Volkswagen Scirocco that was parked outside.

The car was driven away from the scene and the next day Conley was seen in the vehicle which by then was on false plates.

Father-of-two Conley was caught on CCTV abandoning the car in Keighley and following his arrest, phone evidence linked him to the attack on the house, the court was told.

He had two previous convictions for house burglary, dating from 2015 and 2019, and his guilty plea to latest the break-in meant that he was sentenced as a ‘third strike’ offender.

Conley also admitted theft of the VW Scirocco and driving it without a licence or insurance.

His solicitor advocate, Saf Salam, said that the offending was not sophisticated.

Conley’s phone had been ‘pinging’ every mast between Keighley and the address in Burnley and all the way back.

Recorder Taryn Turner told him that if he had been sentenced after a trial he would have been jailed for four years. His guilty plea enabled her to reduce the prison term to three years.

He was banned from driving for 21 months.

Recorder Turner said Conley had been one of a number of men who had broken into the address in the early hours.

“The property was seemingly ransacked and items to the value of £5,000, excluding the Scirocco, were taken,” she said.

Conley had a disturbing record of previous offending, which included two previous convictions for house burglary.

Recorder Turner said the gang had shown a degree of planning and organisation and there had been loss to the householders.