A TERRIFIED Dursley woman who discovered two burglars when she returned to her home ran into the street screaming for help, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

The woman had disturbed Daryl Ash and another man who were committing the burglary and as Ash fled, he pushed the woman in the face.

A neighbour, alerted by the woman’s shouts, gave pursuit and followed Ash to his home at Rosebery Mount, Dursley before backing away and calling police.

James Bennett, prosecuting, said Ash, 38, committed the crimes while on bail for a string of burglaries of sheds and garages in the Dursley area that he carried out with his partner-in-crime Daniel Savory, 34.

Savory of the same address, admitted six charges of burgling sheds and garages in the Cam/Dursley area on the night of March 26 last year.

Ash admitted ten offences of burgling sheds and garages on March 26, a further garage burglary on October 8, while on bail, and common assault on December 4.

On December 4 a woman put the key in the lock of her front door to find it was open.

She realised that someone was in the house, said Mr Bennett, and tried to dial 999 on the phone just inside the door.

But she panicked and ran into the street, shouting for help. Ash came down the stairs, saw the woman and pushed her in the face, causing swelling and reddening around one eye.

Mr Bennett said a bag of jewellery stolen from her house was later recovered.

Lisa Hennessy, for Ash, said he had kept out of trouble from 2009 until these offences.

He had struggled, she said, when trying to cope with his drug addiction and carried out the burglaries to get money for his heroin and crack cocaine habits.

The October offence was committed, Mrs Hennessy said, after a period when he had been doing better and he was grateful that his cousin, who he had tried to sell the bikes to, for reporting him to the police.

His worst offence, she said, was the domestic burglary and he was "ashamed and quite upset by his actions".

Mrs Hennessy said that during the last two months he had reduced his drug use although he had developed serious health problems from smoking crack cocaine.

Steve Young, for Savory, said his motivation to carry out the burglaries to raise money to settle outstanding debts.

Savory, he said, looked after his disabled father, who relied on him and friends for day-to-day tasks like shopping, cleaning and running errands and any period of custody would cause difficulties for his father.

Judge William Hart told Ash he had a "long and bad" criminal record and jailed him for a total of 37 months, with some sentences to run concurrently.

Judge Hart told Savory: "You have a depressing record of failing to comply with court orders and sentences which make it impossible for me to suspend your sentence."

He jailed him for 10 months on each of the six charges, to run concurrently.