A FATHER-of-five who broke into a family home, stole their car and then drove it to burgle a Co-op has been sentenced for a series of similar offences.

Hizekiah Roberts, 38, of no fixed address, admitted three burglaries, two thefts and one charge of being “carried in a stolen vehicle” at Oxford Crown Court.

Prosecutor Cathy Olliver told Judge Ian Pringle the first in the string of offences was a burglary of a family home in Springfield Road, Wantage, on November 20.

She said the mother of the family woke up at about 5.30am, went downstairs and found the kitchen light on, curtains open and a milk carton left in the living room.

She realised her Mazda had been taken and both sets of keys were missing. The car was eventually found in Sussex, with new licence plates, in December.

On December 1, Miss Olliver said Roberts broke into a house in Boot Street, Stonesfield, while the owners – a husband and wife – slept upstairs.

Miss Olliver told the court the wife woke up at 3.30am and went downstairs to find the kitchen door wide open, mud on the floor and a general state of disarray.

She found her handbag was missing, along with an iPhone, £200 in cash and the keys to her Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV.

Roberts admitted taking everything including the car, which was later discovered near a Co-op in nearby Long Hanborough.

Miss Olliver said the manager of the Co-op arrived to open the shop at 6am that morning to discover a manhole cover near the shop had been pulled open, he thought to disabled the shop’s alarm. And cables accessible under the manhole had been cut.

There was also damage to a wall at the side of the shop behind the cigarettes and alcohol counter where Roberts had attempted to remove several bricks in order to gain entry.

A power tool was also found at the scene and Roberts admitted a charge of burglary for that incident.

The shop manager also saw a hole in a nearby fence and tyre tracks leading towards where the car was eventually found.

The final charge related to an Audi A5 which had been stolen in November or December which Roberts admitted he had “allowed himself to be carried in”.

That was recovered in Newquay in Cornwall with its plates changed. A lighter in the footwell had Roberts’ DNA on it.

Roberts’ defence barrister Ben Walker-Nolan said he had managed to stay out of trouble for 18 months after last getting out of prison in March 2013, and had obtained a part-time job.

But when his mother passed away in September he had become highly stressed and lost his sense of direction.

Judge Pringle sentenced him to 27 months in prison for the six offences and ordered him to pay a £120 victim surcharge.