A prolific burglar who punched a woman in the face, stole a charity box and admitted to committing more than 20 burglaries, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison yesterday.
Michal Juras, 24, from Salford, pleaded guilty to five burglaries which took place between September and December 2012, before his arrest on December 28.
He later admitted to more than 20 more, and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court yesterday.
Police Constable Chris Jackson said: “Juras is a serial burglar who has targeted the Higher Broughton and Sedgley Park neighbourhoods.
“Over several months he stole various items including cameras, mobile phones and jewellery, which amounted to several thousand pounds.”
The first incident occurred on September 13 2012, when Juras used a brick to smash the patio door window at a house on Hereford Drive in Sedgley Park.
The owner of the house returned while he was searching the bedrooms upstairs, and Juras proceeded to hit the woman in the face before running off with a charity box containing £90 of cash.
He also took cash from a property on Stanley Road in Broughton Park on October 31, along with a camera and a packet of cigarettes.
PC Jackson warned: “Burglars can strike at any time so it’s important that people secure their homes even when they are in the house.
“Simple steps such as timing lights to come on, locking doors and windows and putting an alarm, can all help residents to divert burglars away from their homes.”
Juras took two mobile phones, an MP3 player, a digital camera and several items of silverware from a home on Waterpark Road in Broughton Park on December 19.
On December 28, Juras used pliers to remove the window of a patio door of a house on Moorside Road in Kersal, taking various items of jewellery.
The last of the burglaries occurred on December 28, when Juras removed a kitchen window from a property on Singleton Road in Broughton Park, before taking a safe which contained various items of jewellery.
PC Jackson added: “I hope this sentence brings some conclusion to residents who were affected.”
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