Allan Sulley, aged, 18, first targeted a property in Bournmoor Avenue, Clifton, in the early hours of 6 January 2023.
On that occasion, the homeowner woke to find their living room had been ransacked – with cash and a number of items taken.
Among the items stolen was a house key, which had a tag attached with an address in Firs Road, Edwalton, written on it.
After tracking the property down, Sulley used the key two days later (8 January) to let himself in while the owner slept.
During a search, he found and pocketed keys to three cars parked outside, which he then unlocked and drove away without being discovered.
Sulley then took his burglary count up to four by breaking into two different houses in the early hours of 13 January.
This time he stole the keys to a van, as well as two wallets, from a house in Humber Road South, Beeston.
The van was driven off the driveway, while a card in one of the wallets was used to make several transactions that morning.
Around the same time as that offence took place, Sulley also carried out another car key burglary from a house in Dungannon Road, Clifton.
The stolen car was later found abandoned in Mansfield – having sustained thousands of pounds worth of damage.
Following extensive inquiries, Sulley was identified as a suspect, located and arrested for the offences on 17 January.
He was then charged with four counts of burglary and three counts of theft.
Having pleaded guilty to the offences, Sulley, of Sandy Lane, Mansfield, appeared before Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday (3 April).
He was sentenced to three years and nine months detention in a young offenders’ institution.
Detective Sergeant Lauren Morgan, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Sulley is a prolific burglar, who showed a complete disregard for the law and the feelings of others by doing what he did.
“As the judge rightly pointed out in court, the consequences of his actions would’ve been felt enormously by his victims.
“While the financial costs can be felt keenly, it is often the emotional impact of burglaries that can cause the most lingering damage.
“That’s why we treat crimes of this nature so seriously and why the sentence handed out to Sulley is so just.”
