A “MEAN and nasty” thief who plundered £40,000 of jewellery from his mother and sister to pay off a drug debt has been jailed for two years.

Adeel Hafeez, who was misusing illegal drugs and had served a three-and-a-half-year jail sentence for possession of heroin with intent to supply, struck after he was trusted to stay at the family home in Bradford while his relatives were in Pakistan.

He broke open the jewellery box and rifled gold items, including £15,000 of bangles and necklaces from his mother, Shamim Akhtar, and £25,000 of jewellery from his sister, Aneela Jubeen, including her wedding jewellery.

Hafeez, 36, of Hapsberg Court, Elsdon Grove, Holme Top, Bradford, pleaded guilty to two offences of theft in January this year.

Prosecutor Carmel Pearson told Bradford Crown Court yesterday that he assured his sister he would get the jewellery back, but when he failed to do so, she called the police.

Hafeez’s barrister, Anne-Marie Hutton, said he was anxious to pay back his mother and sister and was “building bridges” with family members.

He had a partner and a young child and wanted to make a fresh start in life.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC said Hafeez had 11 previous convictions for 22 offences.

He was on a community order for fraud when he stole the jewellery.

The judge said: “This was wedding jewellery, valuable jewellery, and this is the sort of thing that is very precious to any woman.”

Hafeez’s pledge to his sister to get it back was “an empty lie”.

They were “mean, unpleasant and nasty” offences, Judge Durham Hall said.