A PROLIFIC burglar and his apprentice have been jailed after admitting burgling a pensioner.

Daniel Clover, 25, and Tommy Court, 22, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court where they were sentenced to three years in prison.

Clover, of Colne Road, Clacton, and Court, of Almond Close, Clacton, broke into a retirement complex on Old Road, Clacton in the early hours.

The unemployed pair began rifling through the belongings of an elderly occupant who was alone and asleep in the flat.

Their noise awoke the woman who saw the pair stealing her belongings. They got away with a purse and watch.

Within ten minutes of the 999 call being made to police, the two men were arrested a short distance away.

They were later charged with burglary and the woman’s belongings were returned to her.

Investigating officer DC Claire Strachan, said: "Daniel Clover has been one of the town’s most persistent criminals for the past decade and is no stranger to our cells and to court surroundings.

“Sadly, it appears he has recruited Tommy Court into his world of burglary and Tommy has paid the hefty price.

“Although Tommy has been arrested previously, he has never been suspected of committing burglaries in Clacton so it is a shame that he has been led further astray; a sin which will now see him behind bars for the foreseeable future.

“It is a significant coup for us to have Clover off the streets for a few years.”

Both men were ordered to pay the elderly victim compensation.