A RETIRED couple who are afraid to leave their home after it was burgled by a man with 113 previous convictions have branded his 27-month jail sentence as “insufficient”.

They were on holiday in France when Gavin Johnson, 33, and an accomplice ransacked their home in Northallerton.

“They took our whole family history, photos dating back more than 50 years and even took our kids’ first teeth,” the retired manager said.

“They took my father’s gold watch, which we were going to leave in our will for my son, and when it was recovered at a pawnbrokers in Darlington, they had taken all the workings out of it.”

"We had a very happy retirement for the last 13 years, but this has destroyed our way of life."

He said the length of Johnson’s sentence was insufficient given the shattering impact of his actions on their lives.

“If we go away again we will be thinking what will things be like at home. We are worried that it may happen again.”

Teesside Crown Court heard Johnson, of Crosby Road, Northallerton, has a record containing 113 crimes – mostly for offences of dishonesty.