A MAN was arrested for a house burglary near Wrexham after police got a DNA hit from a blood stained coffee pot.

Robert Spruce initially denied being involved and said he had loaned his gloves, which had blood on them, to another man.

But at Mold Crown Court he admitted breaking into the detached gated property in Wrexham Road, Marchwiel, where he stole irreplaceable sentimental jewellery and foreign currency.

He also admitted stealing a Honda motorcycle from the garage.

Judge Niclas Parry jailed him for a year and activated a previously suspended 10-week sentence consecutively.

Judge Parry told Spruce, 22, of Pentre Gwyn, Caia Park, Wrexham, he was amassing quite a criminal record at a young age.

"This is the third time you have broken into someone else's house," he told him.

It was a day time burglary of a property which was unoccupied at the time, but items of great sentimental value had been taken which would never be seen again by the quiet innocent victims who rightly thought highly of the items for obvious reasons.

His motivation had been to acquire a vehicle.

The court a previous burglary had been almost identical – an untidy search, keys stolen and a vehicle driven away.

Barrister Maria Massellis, prosecuting, said the Marchwiel property was set back from the road and the occupants were out at the time.

The property was locked and secured at 11.30am on January 15 and at 8.30pm it was found a garage door was open and the daughter's motorcycle had been taken.

She said keys had been taken from the house hallway.

An untidy house search had taken place and foreign currency had been stolen together with jewellery including irreplaceable items including his wife's engagement ring and his mother eternity ring which had been passed down to him.

A motorcycle helmet had also been stolen.

Police analysed blood on a coffee pot which had been moved in the kitchen and there was a DNA match to Spruce who was arrested.

His home was searched and some of the currency was found in a coat pocket.

None of the jewellery had been recovered but the motorcycle was recovered after an anonymous call and it was found behind a supermarket.

Interviewed, Spruce claimed he was on his way to buy cannabis with a friend he would not name and that friend suggested burgling the premises.

He refused to do so and the friend asked to borrow his gloves.

Spruce said he lent the gloves and said his blood must have come off the gloves which had been used by the friend during the burglary.

He had previously cut his hand.

The currency found at his home had been given to him but he claimed not to know it was stolen.

The judge said it sounded to him as if his barrister had to bang Spruce's head against a wall but he accepted advice and had the good sense to plead guilty.

A victim impact statement told how the owner felt nervous and paranoid that someone would walk down the drive and burgle the property again.

It had affected his life dramatically.

He felt violated that the burglar had been through the family's personal property.

Mark Connor, defending, said Spruce accepted responsiblity and it was conceded his previous convictions aggravated his position.

He did arrange for the return of the motorcycle and had hoped other items could have been returned.

The barrister added Spruce had worked previously, had welding qualifications and he hoped to use his skills to get back to work "once his head was in the right place" and he stopped offending.

Before his remand into custody he had been looking after his parents who were not well, said Mr Connor.