THE home of a 17-year-old Worcester girl was targeted by a trio of burglars – including her boyfriend.

Todd Burston and a youth got into the ground-floor flat in New Street in December last year after a window was smashed with a brick and stole high value goods while the teenager was out.

Ricky Astbury, a third member of the gang, kept lookout in the street while goods worth more than £500 were grabbed, said Mary Wallace, prosecuting.

But the trio were arrested shortly afterwards when police arrived quickly on the scene, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Burston, aged 25, of Dove Close, Worcester, and 20-year-old Astbury, of Southall Road, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to burglary.

The victim’s boyfriend, a 17-year-old youth who cannot be named for legal reasons, was given 18 months’ detention for burglary at another hearing. He had previous cautions for break-ins.

Burston was jailed for three years, which included being re-sentenced for breaching a community penalty for drug dealing.

Astbury was given a 12-month community order and told to carry out 250 hours of unpaid community work.

Judge Michael Cullum said Burston “blew” the chance a previous judge had given him for the drug crime in September last year. He had been caught in the street with 15 wraps of heroin, which he told police was a mix of talcum powder and milk-shake.

The judge said the break-in was a mean offence on a girl who was left upset and vulnerable.

He told Astbury he could be lenient because he had not been in significant trouble before.

The flat raid happened in the early evening of December 16 last year.

CCTV monitored the gang, clad in hoodies, acting suspiciously. One raider also had his face covered by a scarf.

A £300 laptop, an X-box worth £200 and a quantity of jewellery were among the stolen items.

Burston was discovered hiding by a car, Astbury slipped and fell over on mud before being caught and the youth was found in a car park.

Burston had a record for dishonesty and Astbury had a caution for a non-dwelling burglary.

Mark Lister, defending Burston, said he took risks when he was bored and under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

He committed the drug offence to pay off debts to his own drug dealer and had gone along on the flat raid on the spur of the moment.

Jasvir Mann, for Astbury, said he was a naive young man who hoped to find employment as a warehouse worker.