A THIEF from Alcester who broke into a flat and stole a savings jar while he was subject to a community order for using a bank card taken in another burglary has been jailed.
Paul Andrews pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to the burglary of the flat in Stratford, and also admitted a theft, fraud and two charges of handling stolen property.
After hearing the 33-year-old, who is from Alcester but of no fixed address, was in breach of a community order he had been given in November, he was jailed for a total of 26 months.
Prosecutor Suzanne Francis said in May Andrews broke into the Masons Grove flat and smashed a demijohn containing about £300 in coins.
Police found blood on a handle which matched Andrews, who had been given a community order in November for handling bank cards taken in a burglary at a house in Castle Road, Alcester, and using them to carry out 16 contactless transactions.
Miss Francis said Andrews had also broken into a shed and stolen a custom-built bike worth £1,000, together with some power tools and welding equipment, and had later stolen a purse from a woman’s car.
Ian Speed, defending, explained Andrews had developed a heroin and crack cocaine addiction but since being remanded i had signed onto a drugs course.
Jailing Andrews, Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told him: “You have a poor record. You have some serious offences, and there are 19 fraud and dishonesty offences.”
