A couple woke up to find a callous burglar had flown in the night with their beloved parrot, a court heard.

Vitalij Kiseliov made off in the dead of night with the African Grey called Rocky that Trudy and Peter Rowing had owned for 20 years.

The 37-year-old Lithuanian also stole two oxygen tanks ailing Mrs Rowing needed to help her breathing problems.

The total value of all the property taken was about £1,500.

Kiseliov, who has previous convictions for burglary in this country and robbery in Lithuania, was jailed for four years after admitting six “creeper” break-ins in Gillingham at night.

Mrs Rowing told police the burglary and her home in Corporation Road left her “upset and shaken”.

Another victim, pensioner Trevor Lowdell, needed hospital treatment from the shock of discovering there had been an intruder in his house overnight.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Kiseliov, also known as Vitaly Bondal, broke into a home in Gillingham High Street on June 11 this year and stole an iPhone and bank card.

The other raids were all in the early hours of June 15.

The burglary at 72-year-old Mr Lowdell’s home in involved the theft of a medal, car and house keys, mobile phone, camera and watch.

He said in a victim statement he asked to read out in court: “This matter has left me extremely angry as a result of finding someone in my house.

“I have worked for over 50 years to get the items I owned and find it very upsetting someone would even consider coming into my house and invading my privacy to steal my belongings,” he said.

“I am an OAP and I can’t believe someone would have such a low conscience to do this to me.”

The three other burglaries were all in Devonshire Road. Kiseliov’s fingerprints were found at the scene of some of the crimes and police recognised him from a Facebook image.

Prosecutor Keith Yardy said Kiseliov was jailed for three years and seven months in Lithuania in 1999 and 14 months at Woolwich Crown Court in March last year for a house burglary.

Passing sentence, Recorder Sarah Elliott QC said: “Your burglary spree caused real misery to your victims and in many ways real fear.

“The victims were asleep in their own homes at night. Some were brave enough to go down and try to confront you or find you.

"Your burglary spree caused real misery to your victims and in many ways real fear" - Recorder Sarah Elliott QC

“Victims talk of their distress and fear and lasting feeling their homes have been invaded. Night time burglaries when people are in their beds asleep are terrifying for them and have lasting consequences.

“One lady had poor eyesight and needed a breathing machine. Among other things, you stole her oxygen.”

Kiseliov will be deported at the end of his sentence.

Mr Lowdell said he was detained in Medway Hospital for eight hours after fearing he was having a heart attack.

“There was concern about my heart,” he said. “I am still undergoing tests in relation to that. I don’t know the level of damage this incident has truly caused to my health.

“I consider myself a strong person but now doubly check the doors when I go to bed.”

He added: “I can only hope the sentence is suitable to reflect the impact this offence had on me and other victims.”