A WOMAN who smashed a serial burglar over the head with a glass when he broke into her home has criticised a court's decision not to jail him.

Heroin addict Benjamin Quarmby was given an 18-month drug treatment and testing order at Swindon Crown Court on Friday after admitting 50 offences including five house burglaries.

Despite Quarmby also having 82 previous convictions Judge Charles Wade said the order and not prison was the best way to end his crime spree.

But Barbara Rawlings, who confronted Quarmby when he burgled her Bradford on Avon home, has condemned the sentence and says she is living in fear of another break-in. To make matters worse, the first she knew of Quarmby's sentence was when the Wiltshire Times spoke to her this week.

Mrs Rawlings, 58, was in bed on September 18 when Quarmby broke in and stole £50 in cash. She came downstairs and disturbed him as he looked for the keys to steal her car.

Sarah Regan, prosecuting, said: "She challenged him and he tried to escape through the back door. She held the door and took a glass and hit him over the head with it, but he managed to get out."

Mrs Rawlings said: "He should have gone to prison. This is no good at all why do they let these people out?

"As far as I'm concerned people like that are just a waste of space Personally I would have chopped his fingers off.

"I just got out of bed and he was there in the kitchen. You don't know what you do in those situations. There was nothing really I could do.

"If I had been a bit older he could've caused worse problems. I told the police that as soon as I heard they had him it was like a weight off my shoulders.

"But now that he is still here it's going to go back to how it was. I dare not leave the latch undone any more."

On September 25 Quarmby left Corsham landlady Julie Taylor bruised and battered after hitting her with her daughter's car as he made off with £3,000 of cash and cigarettes.

Mrs Taylor, 38, who runs the Royal Oak Hotel in the High Street with her husband, was wedged against a wall as she tried to stop Quarmby escaping.

He was later arrested in Westbury after burgling properties including the Horse and Groom pub. Quarmby, 31, of Lower Westwood, Bradford on Avon, admitted 10 offences including the burglaries and asked for a further 40 to be taken into consideration.

James Cranfield, defending, said: "Mr Quarmby is someone who has a horrific drug addiction and has done for years.

"He started at a fairly young age with soft drugs, moving, as is so often the case, to hard drugs.

"He is at the bottom of the trough and almost given up on himself, though that is not the case with his adoptive parents whose patience appears to know no bounds."

As well as the drug treatment order Quarmby was also given an 18-month driving ban and ordered to pay £50 compensation to Mrs Rawlings and Mrs Taylor.