A court heard how years of prison sentences had failed to break the cycle of heroin addiction and offending for Paul Whitley, 28.

Whitley, of Fairfield Street, Bramley, pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary at Leeds Crown Court and asked for 128 similar offences – mainly shed break-ins – to be taken into consideration.

Whitley wrote a letter to the court describing himself as “a waste of a life” after spending 14 years addicted to heroin.

Laura Addy, prosecuting, said Whitley broke into a shed on Beecroft
Mount, Bramley, on April 6 this year but was disturbed.

The owner saw the shed door open and when he went investigate, he found
Whitley crouched inside clutching a crowbar.

There was a scuffle between the pair and Whitley fled after being thrown into a hedge. His hat fell off and he was traced through DNA.

On June 25, he was caught on CCTV breaking into a shed on Cherry Tree Crescent, Farsley, where he stole £4,000 worth of fishing tackle and £700 worth of power tools.

Miss Addy handed Recorder Deborah Sherwin a schedule of 128 similar offences which Whitley asked to be taken into consideration. Many involved the loss of property worth thousands of pounds.

Marlon Grossman, mitigating, said Whitley was not violent and was not carrying the crowbar in order to attack the homeowner at Beecroft Mount.

He said: “He has written a letter to the court expressing a great deal
of remorse for his actions.

“Now that he’s clean from drugs, when he thinks about this offence it makes him shake and he feels thoroughly ashamed.”

Referring to the other offences, he said: “He has assisted the police to an extent he did not need to.

“He does not want any further court prosecutions for his old life.”

He said Whitley had also been emotionally affected by the loss of his father in December and was left shaken after finding a dead body near the Stanningley Bypass in June.

Mr Grossman urged Recorder Sherwin to accept the recommendations of a pre-sentence report, which called for a community-based sentence designed to tackle his drug addiction.

Whitley was given a two-year community order and two years supervision.

He was also ordered to undertake a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.

Recorder Sherwin warned him he faced a life behind bars if he failed to comply with the order.