A BURGLAR who took drugs to blot out a death crash raided his mother's home, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Mark Timmins needed goods to sell for heroin and broke into the unoccupied house.

He began taking drugs in prison after being jailed for five years in 1997 for causing death by dangerous driving.

He was charged after a number of people were killed in a crash on the M5 motorway near Exeter.

Jason Aris, defending, said the 26-year-old was constantly plagued by nightmares and needed heroin to cope with anxiety stemming from the accident.

Timmins admitted burgling his mother's house in Coton near Bridgnorth, driving while banned and while uninsured.

Jailing him for two-and-a-half years, Judge Michael Mott said he had been offending continually since the age of 13.

Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said Timmins raided his mother's home on Monday, August 27, while she and her daughter-in-law were out.

He loaded a TV, video and other electrical goods into a Renault car left on the driveway and drove off.

His mother returned home to find the house's electronic gates open and a hole in the patio door. The car key was taken from a jacket.

He was already in custody for another offence when he was questioned and charged. He admitted selling the stolen goods to fuel his addiction, said Mr Whitfield.

Between 1988 and 1992 Timmins, of St Cecelia Close, Hoobrook, Kidderminster, committed 65 offences of damage, burglary and possession of weapons. Since then he had been jailed a number of times for dishonesty.

Mr Aris said the defendant's mother had forgiven him and she frequently visited him in jail.

He was remorseful about the hurt he had caused his family. Due to his death-drive conviction he had lost his childhood sweetheart but was in contact with his daughter, aged eight, by phone.

Mr Aris said his client was going through detoxification and planned to send his mother his test results.

He said he wanted her support to become drug-free.