A BURGLAR who was convicted of raiding a home and stealing £4,000 of valuables has been locked up for four years.

Kevin James, 39, was found guilty at Basildon Crown Court of burgling the house in Long Riding, Basildon, and stealing more than 30 items including a camera, jewellery and mobile phones.

James, who has 15 previous convictions for burglary as well as other offences including robbery and theft, was linked to the crime after his fingerprints were discovered on a package, ripped open by the defendant and left on the kitchen table.

The jury rejected his claims he never entered the house on June 5 last year and his fingers were only on the package because someone approached him in Long Riding and asked him if he knew where the address was.

He was also sentenced for four counts of handling thousands of pounds' worth of stolen goods, including a bicycle worth £2,500, jewellery, cameras, an mp3 player, cash and a mobile phone.

James, formerly of Curling Tye, Basildon, was caught with most of the goods within hours of the burglaries at addresses in Basildon and Wickford, between June 25 and June 26 last year.

Judge Christopher Mitchell told James: "I have formed the view you are a professional burglar."

He said he was bound by law to send James to prison for at least three years, but because of his previous offences jailed him for longer.