A FACTORY worker who became addicted to drugs at the age of nine carried out a series of house raids in Bewdley against people he knew.

Teenager Craig Yeomans burgled a fish and chip shop owner's home in Kidderminster Road, stealing £1,200 from a briefcase.

He also broke into a house in Cleobury Road and grabbed a Playstation and games totalling £1,050 and was discovered burgling a flat in Dog Lane.

Yeomans started smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol at nine and went on to become addicted to heroin, Worcester Crown Court heard.

The 18-year-old of Hurcott Road, Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary and asked for two more raids and four thefts to be taken into consideration.

Judge Andrew Geddes sentenced him to two and half years detention and ordered him to serve an extra 43 days of an unexpired prison licence.

Jackie Rogers, prosecuting, said police found his fingerprints at two of the raided properties.

During the final break-in, on January 23 this year, Yeomans pushed past the owner to get in, then began searching her bedroom.

He fled when she shouted at him but was later found back inside the flat before he escaped again empty-handed.

The crimes taken into consideration included thefts from charity boxes at Bewdley Medical Centre and St Anne's Church in Load Street.

Yeomans was badly affected by the break-up of his parents' marriage and began using heroin at 17, said Julian Harris, defending. His crimes funded the habit but he had tested negative for drugs while on remand and was determined to conquer the addiction.

Judge Andrew Geddes told Yeomans: "Your life is a complete wreck and you are responsible for the deterioration. These were burglaries of people you knew. You betrayed them in an unpleasant way."

The judge said he hoped he could turn his life around while locked up or he faced dying young.