A CAREER burglar who broke into a family’s home within four weeks of being released from prison is back behind bars.

Rob Galley, prosecuting, said Matthew John Dodson was arrested very shortly after the raid thanks to two American holidaymakers.

They alerted police when they saw him bumping into people in Kings Square, central York.

He was clearly under the influence of drink or drugs and was also throwing bank cards he had just stolen from a dentist’s family home onto the ground and had the dentist’s purse with £60 belonging to her, plus £410 more in cash on him.

She and her family had been upstairs in their city centre home shortly after noon when they had heard “crashing noises”.

Dodson was downstairs knocking over items, pulling out drawers and dumping their contents on the floor.

Dodson, 43, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary and possessing cannabis and was jailed for three years and ten months at York Crown Court.

He was also ordered to pay £250 compensation to the dentist and £220 prosecution costs.

He was on parole from a four-year prison sentence passed in 2016 for a house raid during which he had confronted an elderly person in his home at night and has altogether served prison terms totalling at least 15 years for house burglaries.

For him, Kristian Cavanagh said: “He is ashamed to find himself back in custody within four weeks of release from a sentence for a similar offence.”

Mr Galley said police found three small pieces of cannabis in Dodson’s rucksack when he was arrested on August 13.

They also found traces of Dodson’s DNA in blood left at the burgled house.

The family realised they had been burgled when they investigated the noises downstairs.

Shortly after 1.30pm, police knocked on the dentist’s door with her purse and some of the cards that had been in her purse.

Others were found on a nearby wall.