A BURGLAR has been jailed after he caused a pet dog to lose the sight in one eye as he smashed a glass door breaking into an 86-year-old woman's house in Bromsgrove.

Daniel Senior used a brick to break into the house in Hanbury Road on September 2 last year. The owner had gone out to church leaving her pet collie, Kiri, at home, Rhydian James, prosecuting, told Worcester Crown Court

When she got back at about 7pm, she discovered glass in the kitchen door had been smashed and the house searched. She had been wearing her jewellery to church but found two purses missing from a tin she kept them in on the kitchen windowsill. One contained £20 and the other £200 to pay her bills, he said.

There was a lot of blood and she found Kiri curled up on the kitchen floor and seriously injured, needing an operation to remove one eye at a cost of £700 in vets bills. She was "heartbroken”, Mr James said.

Senior, of Greenfields Road, Kingswinford, was arrested through a trace of blood left at the house. While on bail, Mr James told Worcester Crown Court, he was arrested for possession of drugs with intent to supply.

Kevin Grego defending, said Senior had a dysfunctional home background but was an intelligent 21-year-old man with 11 GCSEs.

On the night of the burglary, he had been visiting an address nearby when he had a row with his girlfriend and walked off. As he passed the house, he decided on the spur of the moment to break in to see if he could ease his financial difficulties.

He was selling drugs to fund his own use, as he had been smoking cannabis regularly for six years.

Judge Toby Hooper said Senior had not intended to hurt the dog but had been reckless. He said the dog had most likely been hurt by a shard of glass either flying from the broken door or by crashing into it.

He gave Senior 16 months in custody for the burglary and six months for the drugs offence, making a total of 22 months.

Inspector Ed Slough of West Mercia Police said: “The dog is a constant companion to the owner and the incident has left her nervous about going out and leaving the dog alone.

“Burglary is always a top priority for West Mercia Police and as reflects the seriousness of the crime, those who break into people’s homes can expect to lose their liberty.

“The force’s ongoing Citadel initiative illustrates our determination to tackle burglary and educate people to take preventative measures. We take it very seriously and will always seek to put offenders before the courts where there is evidence to do so.”

Villagers put up a £500 reward to help catch the burglar and police are now liaising with them over that.