A BURGLAR who stole a £300 violin and sold it for £20 has been sent to detention for 21 months by Worcester Crown Court.

Craig Jones broke into the house in Wishaw Close, Redditch, on January 31 and his haul also included a camera and jewellery, said Sue Cliff, prosecuting.

The family were asleep upstairs and the daughter was distraught when she found her violin had gone.

Jones, aged 20, of Mount Pleasant, Redditch, was traced after it was discovered the violin had been sold to the Cash Converters store in the town centre.

He admitted the burglary and told police he needed money for his drug addiction.

But Ian Ball, defending, said Jones had become drug-free since being in custody.