A prolific burglar who was caught with a bayonet after trying to break into a city centre house has been jailed for five years.
Miles Seville (40) smashed a window at the property in Rawson Street, near Leicester prison, disturbing the occupant who was upstairs.
The occupant went to investigate and, upon finding the broken glass, called the police, who detained Seville in a nearby street.
He told them he was armed with a knife and handed over a bayonet.
Leicester Crown Court heard that Seville had 78 offences on his criminal record, of which 58 were for burglaries – many of them involving houses.
The defendant, of Hawthorne Street, Newfoundpool, Leicester, admitted attempted burglary and possessing a bladed article in a public place following the latest incident, at 9.15pm on February 24.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Hammond said: "The defendant has a bad record for burglary, as one has seen. He's a persistent, unrepentant professional criminal – a career criminal and he has let his family down.
"I'm told the attempted burglary was done on the spur of the moment.
"He fled when a light came on in the house, but often people's homes are never the same again after something like that.
"A bayonet has no proper use except by the Army. It's something that's supposed to be attached on to the end of a rifle.
James Varley, prosecuting, said that Seville told the police he had the bayonet with him because he was in the area to "score some heroin".
He had run up a drugs debt and thought he may need to protect himself.
Philip Gibbs, mitigating, said: "He's written a letter to the court saying he's sorry."
He told the court Seville was concerned for the welfare of his partner and three children while he is in custody.
The court heard Seville was badly affected by the death of his father a few days earlier and went out for some heroin, not intending to commit burglary.
He was given a four-year sentence for the attempted burglary with one year, consecutively, for possessing the bayonet.
