A serial burglar smashed a stolen car into a police vehicle which had an officer inside. Carl Dudley, who has more than 120 crimes on his record, had nabbed the car keys in a burglary earlier that morning as a resident came face to face with him in their Merthyr Tydfil home. The 42-year-old used a stone to smash one of the house windows at around 4am on March 29 and climbed into the property, where a couple and their two young children were upstairs. "The father was awake, and when he heard noise he looked down from the top of the stairs," prosecutor Pamela Kaiga told Cardiff Crown Court . "He saw the defendant at the bottom of the stairs. He shouted 'who's there' but the defendant climbed back out through the smashed window." Dudley had taken keys for the house and for the couple's Audi A5 and Hyundai i30 cars. He was found by police at 9.30am that day driving the Hyundai around Merthyr in what the court heard was a "dangerous and erratic" manner. Stay informed on everything Merthyr Tydfil by signing up to our newsletter here Police used a roadblock — the 'Stinger', with spikes to deflate tyres — which made contact with the Hyundai, yet he was still able to continue accelerating. "A police vehicle was positioned in the road to block the defendant's path but he tried to drive around and instead collided with it at speed, to the point where the police vehicle's airbags were deployed," said Ms Kaiga. The officer in the vehicle suffered injuries causing pain in his back and swelling in his left hand, which was still troubling him seven weeks later. Dudley was arrested at the scene of the crash, which had caused significant damage to both vehicles. He told officers: "I am sorry. I want to go back to prison. I have done the burglary, I will get two years but only serve half." The defendant, of Gurnos Road in Gurnos, pleaded guilty to burglary, aggravated vehicle-taking and driving without a licence or insurance. He also admitted a fraud on a separate occasion in which he used a stolen bank card at Cardiff's Tudor Street garage to buy three packets of cigarettes. The dad-of-two's 121 previous offences included numerous burglaries, five of which targeted homes, as well as convictions for aggravated vehicle-taking. Dudley's barrister, Martha Smith-Higgins, said his drug addiction stemmed from traumatic childhood experiences. "He was motivated purely by money for drugs," she told the court. "When he is sober, as he is now in custody, he can see the consequences of his actions. "He has written a letter to his victims, acknowledging they would have worked hard for the items he stole. He previously informed his solicitor of the location of the stolen Audi keys and even provided a map to police, but those keys cannot be found. He says he is so sorry and begs the family not to live in fear of him." Judge Shomon Khan took into account Dudley's past trauma but said the burglary must have been "very frightening" for the victims, adding: "Everyone wants to feel safe in their own home." The judge jailed Dudley for three years and handed down a driving ban of five years and six months. He must take an extended test before he can drive again. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here . We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice