A 32-year-old man who burgled the homes of his own mother and grandmother in Newent has been jailed for two-and-half years.

Matthew Goodchild, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty at Gloucester Crown Court to burglary with intent to steal from his mother’s house in Lightfoot, Newent, on March 11 and his grandmother’s address in Akermans Orchard, Newent, two days later.

He also admitted three charges of breaching the terms of a 12-week suspended prison sentence imposed for harassment.

Prosecutor Janine Wood said: “On March 11 Matthew Goodchild’s mother left her home in Lightfoot at 9am and returned an hour and-a-half later.

“She didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary until she received a message from another son, Jonathan, who lives with her and asked her to check to the footage on the CCTV home security cameras as he had received an alert on his phone.

“She looked at the video and spotted her son Matthew Goodchild climbing up the rear of the property onto the flat roof.

“When Jonathan arrived home later that day he checked his bedroom and realised his window had been forced open. He kept his savings in the bedside drawer and he found that a container holding £180 had been stolen.”

The court was then told about the burglary at Goodchild’s grandmother’s house in Akermans Orchard on March 13.

Mrs Wood said: “The grandmother arrived home and she noticed that the bedding had been ruffled up in a room used by another grandson.

“She checked the rest of the house and noticed that a window had been forced. The grandmother found that £80 from the top of the dresser was missing and £30 from one of the drawers.

“Fingerprints were found at the point of entry to both properties and after examination were a match to Matthew Goodchild.”

Curtis Myrie defending said: “Goodchild had returned to his life as a drug addict and needed money for his next fix.

“He decided to target properties that he was familiar with.”

Judge Ian Lawrie QC said to Goodchild: “You have caused your family some considerable stress.

“Because of your antecedents you are now a three strike burglar.

“You will be jailed for two-and-half years.”

The judge also ordered Goodchild to pay a victim surcharge of £149.