A BURGLAR who stole items valuing more than £3,000 from two homes in Bracknell claimed the door was ‘left open’.

Ryan Dye, of Ambrook Road in Reading, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary which occurred in the early hours of January 31 this year in Fletcher Gardens.

The 41-year-old first broke into a shed at about 1am by cutting through a padlock and stole a Peugeot road bike and a Dewalt power drill valuing £230.

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He then entered a home a few doors down and stole two Apple Macbooks, a PlayStation 5 and a Nintendo Switch valuing £3,140.

Dye was later arrested outside HSBC in Broad Street after ‘behaving suspiciously’ and all the stolen items were recovered.

At Reading Crown Court today (April 17), prosecutor Michael Speak said: “The [second] burglary occurred at the house when [the owner] was there with his young family.

“They had all gone to bed and were upstairs when the defendant gained access to the house. It’s not entirely clear how he gained entry but when [the owner] woke up in the morning he noticed that the patio door has been left open.

“Near to the address there was crowbar left in a driveway but I can’t say if it was used to gain entry to the house.”

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Dye, who appeared in court via a video link, then interrupted the barrister. He said: “Nah, [the door] was left open.”

Mr Speak continued: “Police became involved as the defendant was seen behaving suspiciously outside HSBC in Broad Street and appeared to be carrying a toolbox at 3am in the morning.

“He was drunk and was riding the bike.”

A victim statement was then read to the court by Mr Speak. The owner of the home said his young children, aged five and nine, were impacted by the burglary and were fearful that Dye will return.

The owner of the shed is currently receiving extensive treatment for cancer and described the incident as an ‘added stress at a very bad time’ in his life.

Defending Dye, his barrister said he ‘deeply regrets his actions, he’s remorseful and apologetic for his behaviour’.

She added that Dye’s offending stems from an addiction to Class A drugs. He has appeared in court six times for 17 previous offences.

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He was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. He will also need to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and 50 hours of unpaid work.