An armed burglar has been jailed for a series of night raids on student houses in his neighbourhood.

A student chasing Paul Harriss out of one of the burgled houses came across police responding to a 999 call from another of his victims.

The officers joined in the hunt and caught Harriss, 50, running along Seventh Avenue, Tang Hall. He had a lock knife in his pocket and in a police interview said he always carried a knife. He also had a screwdriver and gloves on him.

Harriss, of Corbridge House, Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall, pleaded guilty to two burglaries and one attempted burglary and carrying a knife in public. He was jailed for three years.

Patricia Doherty, prosecuting, at York Crown Court, said: “They were all student premises, deliberately targeted and he had an implement with him.”

Mrs Doherty said Harriss broke into a house in Bad Bargain Lane after dark on March 14 while the occupants were out and searched it but didn’t steal anything. He was identified from blood he left behind.

On March 19, he tried to get into a garage on Fourth Avenue at 10.15pm, but a resident alerted by a loud bang, scared him off and called police.

They were the officers approached by the student who had seen Harriss in his kitchen further along Fourth Avenue at 10pm and shouted at him to get out, then chased him.

Harriss has a 30-year criminal record.

Michael Greenhalgh, defending, said Harriss had had problems earlier in his life and was addicted to drugs. He had attempted to conquer it but mixed with other drug users.

Although there had been a confrontation during the last burglary it had been a very short one and he hadn’t used violence.

The time Harriss spends behind bars will be reduced by more than 100 days because he spent 224 days on a nightly curfew while on bail. His case was repeatedly adjourned so probation officers could prepare a report on him. He was remanded in custody when he walked out of an interview with a probation officer and there still wasn’t a report ready when he was sentenced four weeks later.