A 21-YEAR-OLD Stourbridge man who ruined the honeymoon period of a Wordsley family when he raided their home and stole treasured property has been jailed for 20 months.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the woman of the house, newly-wed Julie Hudson, was now suffering from nightmares and has been "significantly affected" by the actions of burglar Jason Newbury.

Judge Michael Challinor said she had become nervous and had been throwing away things because she thought they had been touched by the raiders.

She also broke down when she looked at her wedding photographs because on the day she was wearing a bracelet that had been stolen.

The Judge told Newbury. "The harm you have done to this woman in particular is great. Her life has changed."

Newbury admitted breaking into Julie and husband Gary’s home house in Ryder Street while they were away on their honeymoon in Turkey and stealing £3,000 worth of property including jewellery and electrical goods.

Simon Worlock, prosecuting, said husband Gary had been able to track down a man who admitted he had bought a TV set from Newbury that had been taken from the house.

John Evans, defending, said Newbury - a man with a long list of previous convictions for offences including burglary and theft - had been recruited to join in the attack on the property.

Mr Evans stressed: "He was not the principal offender. He joined in and he took electrical equipment to raise money to buy food."

He told the court Newbury had nowhere to live after his release from custody and he was hungry.

Mr Evans said Newbury, now of no fixed address, knew he had to change his ways and added: "He is a nuisance criminal rather than a serious criminal."

Victim Julie, aged 36, said afterwards that she was grateful Newbury had been punished, adding: “The judge gave him the most he could in the circumstances.”

But husband Gary was “furious” that Newbury wasn’t given longer in prison. He told the News: “He’ll be out by next July. I would have hoped he’d have got five years.”

The couple are still desperately hoping the stolen bracelet, which Gary gave to Julie shortly after they met, will turn up.

Gary said: “We can replace it - but it won’t mean the same thing.”