A man and a woman burgled a retirement complex in Reading, in what a judge described as a 'very mean offence.'

Jason Scott, 45, of Red Cottage Drive, Calcot, and Layla Spence, 42, of no fixed abode, targeted the Cedar Court development in Whitley Rise.

This facility provides sheltered housing to people aged 55 and over.

On February 26 this year, Scott and Spence broke into the premises and made off with around £150 of electrical goods.

Sentencing the pair at Reading Crown Court today (July 2), Judge Kirsty Real condemned them for targeting the elderly.

She said: "This was a very mean offence to commit, whatever your issues were.

"It's a mean offence to take amenities away from people who were vulnerable."

The judge stated that the duo appeared to have planned the burglary in advance.

She told the court: "There must have been some planning, in terms of the multiple entries and knowing where the goods were."

Nevertheless, Judge Real emphasised that the break-in was not particularly aggravated.

She said: "There was no confrontation with anyone on the premises. There was limited damage or disturbance to the property."

Both Scott and Spence have struggled with drug addiction, which contributed to the ir criminality.

Scott - unlike his partner - has a history of burglary offences, although the judge stressed that these are 'old.'

Spence has gone 'cold turkey' in prison in a bid to tackle her substance abuse issues.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Real expressed hope that they could rehabilitate themselves.

The judge told them: "With a bit of luck, we will not see you again."

Scott, who was already subject to a suspended sentence, was jailed for three years and six months.

Spence was sentenced to a year in prison.