A persistent burglar who smashed his way into a home with a hammer in broad daylight has been jailed for four years.

Andrew Hill had 39 previous convictions for 95 offences, including being “beyond” a third strike housebreaker, Bradford Crown Court heard on Thursday.

Hill, 38, of no fixed address, was confronted by the occupier when he broke into an address in West Lane, Baildon, on July 4, doing £350 damage.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson said that Hill, who was disappearing off with a stolen bag, told the householder: “Hello, are you back? I’m doing a job.”

He then proceeded to get into the man’s £26,000 Honda CR-V and drive off in it.

The householder said he thought of blocking Hill in with another car but feared that both vehicles would then be damaged.

When he was stopped in the stolen car later that day, he spat in the face of the female police officer arresting him.

She was disgusted by the offence, saying: “I’d rather be punched in the face than spat it.”

Hill pleaded guilty to burgling three bags from the property, stealing the car driving while disqualified in Keighley Road, Bradford, and assaulting a police officer.

He also admitted handling a stolen car key, assaulting two police officers, damaging a police vehicle window and racially threatening a doorman in Bradford city centre on March 29.

Mr Nicholson said that Hill barged into one police officer and kicked another when they were called to a nightclub in Ivegate.

He had called the doorman an offensive name relating to his nationality and said: “Get back to your own country,” when the woman he was out with was challenged about the theft of a bag from a nightclub.

He tried to bite a female officer and then kicked her in the stomach.

Hill called her a slag and threatened to stab her in the neck after kicking the police vehicle window in.

He was found with a key stolen with the handbag from the nightclub.

Hill’s barrister, Giles Bridge, said he was a long-standing drug addict with mental health problems.

This was the first house he had burgled since 2013 and his first offence of burglary since 2016.

The Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, told Hill: “You have been keeping the courts and your solicitors busy for many years.”

Hill was “beyond a third strike house burglar,” the judge said.

He was jailed for a total of nine months for the March offences, three years for the house burglary, and three years for spitting at the police officer, the sentences to run consecutively.

“The courts will always lock up people who clobber emergency workers,” Judge Durham Hall said.

Hill was banned from driving for four years.