A HOMELESS Stourbridge man has been jailed after raiding a sheltered housing unit in Norton.

Robert Porter, aged 20, was put behind bars for two years five months following a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

Porter admitted burgling the unit on Glebe Lane which provides homes for the elderly and other people suffering from mental problems.

Recorder William Andrea-Jones QC told Porter: "This time you are in hotter water than you anticipated, you really have been a thorough nuisance."

He told Porter residents living in the unit must have been extremely distressed by his actions and he had good reason to be ashamed.

Porter, who has a string of previous convictions involving raids on private and commercial properties, got into the flat used by the unit manager.

He stole two purses, her mobile telephone and a set of chef's knives, said Jonathan Challinor prosecuting.

Porter, who admitted the offence, used cash cards he had taken to withdraw £250 from a bank.

Mr Challinor told the court Porter had been filmed on CCTV during the raid and was recognised by police officers.

Porter, now of no fixed address, was told by the Recorder he had a "bad" criminal record.