Bungling burglar Malcolm Pyke was easily caught after accidentally leaving his name and address at the home he had just broken into.
The thief stole cleaning machinery worth £150 from a garage and disturbed his victim in the process.
When the householder went to investigate, they found the intruder had left behind a bag containing personal items, including letters which had his name and address on.
As a result, the 43-year-old was quickly tracked down following the burglary in Sunderland on March 6.
Prosecutor Peter Schofield told Newcastle Crown Court : "There was an amount of correspondence which was, in fact, in the defendant's name, as well as the address where he lived, which was Tanfield Road, Sunderland.
"The matter was reported to the police.
"They had a relatively straight forward task in attending Tanfield Road, where they found the stolen cleaner in the back garden."
Pyke pleaded guilty to burglary and also admitted burglary of a shed and two offences of theft of property, including designer clothing from a washing line, from outside houses in the same street in Palmersville, North Tyneside, in the early hours of July 1.
Judge Sarah Mallett sentenced Pyke, who has a long list of previous convictions and was on a community order at the time, to a total of four years behind bars.
Vic Laffey, defending, said Pyke has worked with the authorities while in prison on remand and has now stopped taking drugs.
Mr Laffey said Pyke has obtained certificates for his hard work in jail and is keen to play a positive role in his children's lives in future.
