A repeat burglar with an addiction to cocaine was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison yesterday.

Ryan Norris Furbert, 33, of no fixed abode, has been on remand for over ten months after pleading guilty to breaking and entering the Pirate's Landing Restaurant in Dockyard on December 28 and stealing a safe, cash and cheques worth $3,000.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing $10,000 worth of shoes, shirts, trousers, and baseball caps with another man from a warehouse in Warwick on Christmas Eve.

Furbert was represented by Elizabeth Christopher who has been arguing the case for addiction treatment as an alternative to incarceration as Furbert has already spent several years in prison for similar offences and not been rehabilitated.

However, Puisne Judge Vincent Meerabux said there was a need to protect the public and highlighted the great distress caused by breaking and entering, which not only causes the loss of property, but also the loss of security.

Before sentence was passed, Furbert told the court: "I apologise to my mother, I'm not a bad person trying to be good, I'm a sick person trying to get better so I can be a productive citizen when I get back into society.'' Mr. Meerabux said: "The cycle of crime must be broken to protect society and yourself,'' and said an immediate custodial sentence was necessary.

Furbert was then sentenced to two-and-a-half years on each count to run concurrently with time in remand to be taken into account.