DRUGS FEATURE: HEROIN addicts leave a trail of destruction behind them in their ceaseless quest for a fix.

Oscar Struijve, 39, and his wife, Astrid Wissenburg, 38, had their home ransacked by a heroin addict.

The couple was devastated because among the £4,000 worth of items taken were a wedding ring and a laptop containing a year's worth of coursework.

Last week, the culprit, 30-year-old Paul John, was jailed for seven years. He had burgled 15 homes since being released three years early from another prison term in January.

Oscar and Astrid will never forget the day they returned from a walking holiday in Scotland to find they had been burgled. "I was just totally stunned," said Oscar, who works in information technology.

"I just didn't want to believe it had happened. Besides having lost property, it felt like an invasion of privacy. It was very upsetting for both of us."

The ring belonged to Oscar, who left it at home because he feared he might lose it on holiday.

The laptop was Astrid's, and contained coursework for a post-graduate degree.

"I'm sure the thief was not thinking about our feelings when he did this," said Oscar.

"We need to do all can to get people off heroin."