A MAN from Birkenhead has been jailed for three years after being convicted of burglary,

Lee Ireland, 51, was sentenced following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The offence took place on Tuesday April 13.

At around 11.30am that day it was reported entry had been gained to a house on St Andrews Road, Prenton via a rear window.

The occupants of the property were out at the time of the incident, in which jewellery, a wallet and a mobile phone were stolen from the address.

Speaking after the sentencing, Chief Inspector Roger Pegram said: "It is pleasing to see that Ireland has been dealt with this week, which should act as a strong deterrent to anyone else who would consider targeting other people's homes for their own gain.

"This offence took place during the day and understandably caused distress to his victims, but hopefully this verdict will offer some comfort.

"We regularly act on information from those communities affected, so please come forward if you know anything about suspected burglary and the sale of stolen goods wherever you are.

"Due to the focussed activity of Operation Castle and the impact of COVID, burglary offences have decreased across Merseyside this year, and we’ll continue to work proactively with communities and our partners to keep this progress going.”

Always call 999 if a burglary is in progress. Anyone with information on burglary is asked to contact our dedicated hotline and email address on 0151 777 7926 or operation.castle@merseyside.pnn.police.uk.

You can also pass information to the social media desk @MerPolCC, call 101 or you can call or the independent charity @CrimestoppersUK anonymously, on 0800 555 111.