A career burglar who stole more than £4,000 worth of cigarettes and booze from a Leeds Co-op Food store has been jailed.
Alex Owens was one of at least two masked men who were armed with an axe and a screwdriver when they broke into Co-op Food on Nursery Lane in Alwoodley on June 8 this year.
Andrew Horton, prosecuting, said the shutters were forced and the front window was smashed before cigarettes and alcohol valued at £4,300 were stolen.
Leeds Crown Court heard none of the stolen goods were recovered.
Owens' blood was found at the scene.
He made no comment when interviewed by police.
Owens, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary.
He has 35 previous convictions for 63 offences, including burglaries and breaches of court orders.
Probation officer Jodie Loftus said Owens told her that his previous convictions were a result of the area he grew up in and the people he associated with.
Alexandra Sutton, mitigating, said Owens agreed to carry out the offence with former associates after getting made redundant from his job as a builder and becoming homeless.
He was sentenced to one year and eight months' imprisonment.
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