A ’career criminal’ has been jailed for breaking into the same house four times in the space of seven months.

The horrified owner of the house in Kingskerswell found intruder Anthony Bubeer inside his home or garden twice and a home help also came face to face with him.

A CCTV camera which was installed at the house in Chestnut Grove managed to capture images of Bubeer even though he tried to remove and steal it.

He was wearing a hoodie to try to hide his face but detectives were able to identify him from the footage because he is a persistent burglar who has already been jailed once under the ’three strikes and you’re out’ law.

Anthony Bubeer, aged 39, of Coles Lane, Kingskerswell, admitted three counts of burglary and one of attempted burglary and asked for six more offences to be considered.

He was jailed for three years and six months by Judge Graham Cottle at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: ‘There were four burglaries on the same address and the details of the other offences make most unpleasant reading. Two involved vulnerable elderly individuals against whom you committed crimes.

‘You have a very long record. You are a career criminal. That may be explained by your lifestyle of drugs and the need for money to obtain them. That does not amount to any mitigation in this or any other case.’

Miss Caroline Bolt, prosecuting, said the first burglary happened on March 3 when Bubeer stole keys and the householder saw him leaving through his back garden.

On October 31 the owner was about to go to bed when he heard noise downstairs and found Bubeer in his lounge. A home help disturbed him in the kitchen a week later and on both occasions he fled empty-handed.

On November 22 he broke in and stole a CCTV camera but it had already recorded him and police recognised him on the footage.

The other offences which were taken into consideration included burglaries at other addresses, conning an elderly resident into giving him a card and PIN number, and pushing past another pensioner to get into their home and steal.

Mr Kevin Hopper, mitigating, said Bubeer had stayed out of trouble for five years but an illness to his father and other personal problems led him to return to drug taking and crime.