A PROLIFIC burglar has committed his 100th offence but has been spared jail... for now.

Ronnie Tretton, 34, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Friday where he admitted burglary after he stole a gold watch worth £880 from a house in Woodside, Leigh, on May 23.

With this latest incident, Tretton now has 100 offences from 38 convictions, dating all the way back 24 years to his first offence in 1995 when he was just ten-years-old.

The court heard how Tretton had gained access to the latest house via a back window, stole the watch and fled the scene.

However, blood was discovered on the curtain next to the window, in which Tretton’s DNA was quickly identified and led police to arrest and charge him.

Judge Samantha Leigh stated that Tretton’s victim had been left shaken by the incident and that they were now feeling vulnerable in their own home after someone had trespassed.

Yet Judge Leigh chose to defer the sentencing hearing and allow Tretton out on conditional bail, meaning he must not go near Woodside, Leigh.

Until then he must obey the terms of his licence conditions.

The last offence Tretton was convicted for took place in December 2016, where he stole £3,500 worth of jewellery and 400 Euros from a house in Harrison Close, Hutton.

He was jailed for two years and eight months for the offence in February 2017 and was out on licence when he committed his latest burglary in May this year.

Tretton was the first person in Southend to receive an anti-social behaviour order in 2002, aged just 17, and was named and shamed by the Echo at the time. In 2012, he made an extraordinary outburst whilst in the dock at Southend Magistrate’s Court after he was arrested in Brentwood on September 11 by officers working under Operation Nemesis, which focussed on burglaries.

Tretton lost control as Essex Police won the right to keep more than £1,000 cash they found on him during an arrest in June 2011.

He was never charged for the burglary, but police won the right to keep most of the money – £1,037 of £1,287.

He was serving time in jail, and as he was led away he shouted “When I get out, there will be a lot of burglaries! I will get my money back. Watch the crime rate when I get out. How about that!?”

On Friday, the court heard that Tretton had adopted a “dismissive” attitude when working with probation services during his time on licence, and that he had been reluctant to comply with services.

However, since the birth of his child, Tretton reportedly had started to improve his attitude and was open to trying to work to better himself.

Judge Samantha Leigh gave Tretton a warning that if he reverts to his old ways whilst on bail he could face time in prison once again.

She said: “You must comply with your barristers and listen to them so that they know exactly what is going on with you. I am letting you out on bail, but you must not go to Woodside in Leigh which could result in you bumping into your victim.

“We will come back on September 27.

“If you have fully complied with the terms of your licence I will hand out another sentence, but if you haven’t, and you have strayed back into your old ways I will not.”

Tretton, formerly of Birche Close, Leigh, but now of Ruskin Avenue, Southend, showed very little emotion when in court and spoke only to confirm his name and enter his plea.

The maximum prison sentence that he could receive is three years.