A convicted burglar and drug dealer with 58 crimes on his record has been given back his liberty.
Gerald Dunion was freed by a judge who told him: “It seems there may be some hope for you.”
He came into court thinking prison was inevitable for two daylight burglaries of student flats.
The 40-year-old was seen in the kitchen of a three-storey home for 12 students on Woodlands Road, central Middlesbrough.
He stole a money box, CDs, food and Christmas decorations, leaving his blood and fingerprints at the scene at about 8.50am on November 21 last year.
One of the residents said she did not sleep properly since and it left the students feeling unsafe and unsure whether to stay in the property next university year.
Three days later Dunion burgled the home of eight students - again leaving his fingerprints - on nearby Southfield Road on November 24.
More than £3,400 worth of possessions were stolen including a laptop, a camera, a phone, two watches, clothes and £120 cash.
Dunion, of no fixed address, admitted the two burglaries. He had 58 previous offences starting in 1996.
He was jailed for three years for burglary in 2002 and six years in 2009 for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Andrew Turton, defending, said Dunion had a history of drug misuse and relapsed after his relationship broke up, he became homeless and was placed in a home among alcoholics and drug users.
Mr Turton said: “He describes himself as weak-willed.
“He tried to resist the temptation but unfortunately was drawn back into that lifestyle. His character was tested, he was found wanting.
“He asks to pass on his apologies to the court.”
He added Dunion had little memory of the crimes and did not profit from them as the stolen property was “taken care of” by someone else.
He said there were signs Dunion was getting his life back on track but he realised “a custodial sentence is inevitable”.
The judge, Recorder Jonathan Aitken, suggested Dunion was “ready to change” and adjourned the case for a week for a further report about his motivation.
Dunion said from the dock: “I’ve been trying to change.”
When he came back to court to learn his fate this week, the defendant added: “I’ve never had any support before. I’ve tried. I was six years clean before this happened.”
The judge gave him a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years with supervision and a year’s drug rehabilitation.
He added: “It’s not an easy option, it’s a difficult one.”
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