A burglar who said he raided a Bristol home so he could pay for a flight to attend his mother's funeral has been jailed.

Bristol Crown Court heard that James Russell was in "emotional turmoil" when he broke into an address in Fishponds at night while the occupants were asleep in bed.

The 33-year-old drug addict, who is of no fixed abode and has numerous previous convictions for burglary, had previously raided a flat in Old Market, this time to fund his addiction.

He was arrested after spots of his blood and fingers prints were discovered by scenes of crime officers and he later pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary.

Mark Hollier, prosecuting, said Russell burgled a home in Oldbury Court, Fishponds, in August this year when his victims were asleep. The court heard his victims now lived in fear in their own home, particularly at night.

Mr Hollier said the defendant had burgled another property in Talavera Close, Old Market, between July 5 and 9 when the occupants were away on holiday.

He said the property was burgled twice while the owners were away and the defendant admitted taking a flat screen television in the first burglary. Nicholas Clough, defending, said his client's "emotional turmoil" increased in August when his ex-wife told him his mother had died in Ireland in a car accident.

He said Russell received the news just a few days before the funeral and felt he could not obtain money to buy an air fare to Ireland in time unless he committed the burglary at Oldbury Court. Jailing Russell for two years, Recorder Mr Ignatius Hughes said: "Residential burglary, especially night-time occupied burglary, is so serious the courts would be failing in their duty to the public if they did not impose an immediate custodial sentence.

"I accept the reason you went back to drug use and that you were suffering from emotional difficulties.

"That's an addiction you have to deal with."