Sentencing prolific thief Alistair Cooper at Bradford Crown Court Mr Recorder Andrew Dallas said the damage caused to small businesses by someone targeting commercial premises equalled the emotional impact of a house break-in.
He said: “This is not a casual burglary committed by someone desperate for accommodation, drugs, or a dry roof over their heads.”
The jewellery, taken in two separate raids over a period of hours, has never been recovered.
Prosecutor Oishee Dey said the owner of an antique shop on Stonegate in York was alerted by an alarm at 9.27pm on August 19 last year.
When he arrived he found a cabinet had been broken into and glass smashed. Goods had been taken but as the cabinet was sub-contracted to another seller he could not be sure of the value.
Whoever had got into the premises had used a hatch and an unlocked door.
The police were called and the hatch was secured. The owner left at 12.50am.
Around six hours later at 6.56am on August 20 another alarm sounded.
The owner returned to find a second cabinet smashed. Police who attended found blood at the scene and Cooper was traced via his DNA.
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