A HAPLESS burglar was caught out after officers matched his DNA to a trail of blood left smeared around a house he ransacked on New Year’s Day.

The blood belonged to Jamie Kent, 35, of Hawthorne Avenue, Newport, who cut himself on glass breaking into the home in the early hours of New Year's Day.

During the break-in at Balmoral Road in the Somerton area of Newport, Kent stole jewellery and aftershave, Newport Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Nigel Fryer said neighbours were woken by loud banging noises at around 4.30am on New Year's Day to find Kent dressed in black and acting suspiciously.

One neighbour, named as Tim Hopkins, called out: “Alright fella?”, and startled Kent who ran from the scene.

Mr Hopkins later reported the incident to the police who arrived at the house a few hours later.

(Jamie Kent left a trail of blood around the house he burgled)

The court heard the owners of the property were away on holiday in Swansea when their home was ransacked, returning to find smashed glass on the kitchen floor and blood stains on the carpet.

“Their son was ensuring the property was secure while they were away,” added Mr Fryer.

“He had last gone to the property at around 6pm on New Year’s Eve when everything was in order.”

Police arrested Kent four months after the burglary after stopping a Vauxhall van in Newport.

The court heard that Kent told officers: “I don’t know what this is about. I haven’t done anything for ages.

“I’ve only been out of prison for 18 months.”

One of the residents, Tania McDonnell-White, said in a victim impact statement that she felt “physically sick” at the thought of someone going through her belongings.

“The thought of someone going through my belongings and personal items shows little or no respect,” she said.

“The blood stains in my house were disgustingly vile. Not knowing who they were or what they touched was especially hard.”

She added the blood stains made her not want to stay there or have her “grandson crawling around”

Mr Kent pleaded guilty to the burglary on 5th April at Gwent Magistrates Court.

The defence counsel, Harold Baker, asked that Mr Kent’s sentence should be “as short as possible” and that he had spent some time doing useful employment since his last sentencing.

Recorder Caroline Rees QC noted the emotional impact Mr Kent’s actions had had on his victims.

“This case is clearly so serious that the custody threshold is passed,” she added.

Sentencing Kent to 12 months in prison, Recorder Rees also pointed out that the defendant had a long history of previous offences, including a two year sentence for burglary in September 2017.

Kent gave no reaction as the sentence was passed or when he was led away from the dock.