POLICE have welcomed tough guidelines which have taken a teenage prolific burglar off the streets of Torbay.

Thomas Ransom (pictured) had just had his 18th birthday when he went on a burglary spree and raided 18 homes around the Bay.

All the burglaries happened at night while the home owners were asleep.

The victims of his most recent raids included an elderly couple who have been left feeling insecure after discovering that Ransom had entered their home as they slept.

Ransom, of Marine Drive, Paignton, admitted three burglaries and asked for 15 others to be considered.

Police said he got in through insecure doors or windows and took cash, computers or electrical items.

When he was arrested at Paignton holiday flats where he was living temporarily, he had the stolen property stacked up beside him.

He was jailed for 29 months by Judge Barry Cotter, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

The judge discounted the mandatory three-year sentence to take account of his guilty plea.

After the case, acting Det Insp Chris Yarwood welcomed the 29-month sentence.

He said: "This case is not untypical. Some of the criminals we deal with are capable of committing a whole series of crimes in a very short period of time with obvious consequences.

"It becomes even more important for us to secure a conviction so they are kept off the streets for as long as possible."

Police issued a countywide alert for Ransom after he jumped bail for previous burglaries last year.

He carried out all his raids in the space of a few weeks.

Ransom, who turned 18 last August, became one of the youngest offenders to be jailed under strict new sentencing guidelines introduced three weeks ago.

He qualified for a minimum sentence as a 'third strike burglar' because he had already been convicted of domestic burglaries when he was aged just 15 and 17.

The court heard Ransom had a background of drug addiction.