A PROLIFIC burglar who “plagued” student accommodation has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Jason Callaghan admitted stealing a laptop worth about £1,500 from a student’s room at St Edmund Hall, Queen’s Lane, Oxford, on October 10.

The 39-year-old, of no fixed address, also admitted handling stolen goods, a laptop, iPod and camera on November 3.

Callaghan asked for 11 burglaries or thefts, including some at Oxford University colleges, to be taken into consideration during sentencing.

He has been convicted of a total 83 offences, including 32 thefts or burglaries, since 1990.

Judge Gordon Risius said Callaghan had “plagued” Oxford undergraduates “for far too long” during his sentencing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday.

The court was told Callaghan spent a “considerable” amount of time wandering around St Edmund Hall on October 10 looking for something to steal.

He eventually went into an unlocked undergraduate’s room and stole the Apple laptop computer and charger.

During a police interview, Callaghan denied the burglary – even though he was shown CCTV footage – and claimed he had been looking for his bicycle.

He later admitted the offences during the court case.

Defence barrister Jacinta Jones said her client had a “significant” drugs problem and had been diagnosed with a paranoid personality disorder.

She said: “He wants to help himself and stop taking drugs.

“He is currently in custody and the drugs problem has been addressed by the use and reduction of metha-done.”

Judge Risius said: “You have been plaguing Oxford undergraduates for far too long.

“I accept you do have a serious drug problem, but you will now have to address that in prison because your interests are now heavily outweighed by those other people who are entitled to look to courts for protection from people like you.”

He said the loss of a laptop to an Oxford undergraduate would be “significant”.

On the handling charge, Judge Risius said: “You knew they were stolen goods and accepted them because you needed the money for drugs.”

Judge Risius, taking into consideration the 11 burglaries or thefts, handed Callaghan a four-year sentence for stealing the laptop.

He gave him a 12-month sentence for handling stolen goods, but said the two sentences should run concurrently.

Prosecutors requested an antisocial behaviour order to ban him from entering student accommodation in the city but this was refused by Judge Risius.