A dad who turned to house burglary to fund his gambling addiction has been jailed for 15 months.

Anwar Khan targeted empty houses in day time raids to try and raise cash to spend at the bookie’s to chase his losses.

But the 29-year-old failed to win the money he needed to pay off his debts and continued on the spate of break ins.

A judge a Swindon crown court heard that he committed 19 offences in Swindon, Chippenham and Wootton Bassett during three weeks in June.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, said the first of the offences took place on Tuesday June 2 when he used a crowbar to force a window at a house on Bayleaf Avenue, Swindon, taking electrical items and cash.

On Thursday June 11 he broke through the front door of a house on Kingshill Court while the owners were on holiday again stealing electrical goods and jewellery.

Exactly two weeks later he broke into a house on Ashfield Road, Chippenham, by getting through an insecure window and again taking electrical items and cash.

On the same day he used a crow bar to force a rear door at a house on nearby Wessex Road, where he only took electrical items.

Miss Hingston said the total value of the TVs, laptops, jewellery and cash taken was thought to be in the region of £5,000.

He also admitted a string of other break ins and attempted burglaries six of which were in Chippenham, five in Swindon and four in Wootton Bassett.

Khan, of Cranmore Avenue, Park South, Swindon, pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary and asked for 15 further matters to be taken into consideration.

The court heard that while he had a previous conviction for burglary it was of a non dwelling and took place in 1998.

However he had a history of violence and was jailed for six months last summer for actual bodily harm and having cannabis.

Rob Ross, defending, said his client had turned to breaking into houses to fund his gambling addiction.

“He told me the first offence was committed because he was desperate thinking if he could get some money he could win it back and pay off his debts,” he said.

But like all gamblers he failed and continued to offend over a three week period.

“In my submission we are dealing with a man who made mistakes over a very short period of time in the grip of an addiction,” he said.

When he was freed he said he wanted to set up his own business and his partner had arranged for him to join gamblers’ anonymous and told all the betting shops not to serve him.

Jailing him Judge Neil Ford QC said “People who commit offences of burglary to this degree inevitably go to prison.”