A dad who burgled the house of his girlfriend’s former partner’s family has been jailed for 16 months.

Paul Deville stole jewellery and cigarettes when he used a key to get into the farm house while the occupants were.

And the 38-year-old was also found to be growing cannabis in the loft of his Chippenham home when police went to arrest him.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court how a woman returned to her home in Bradenstoke on Monday November 3 last year to find it had been burgled.

Although the raider had carried out an untidy search of the house there was no sign of where they had got into the property.

Miss Marlow said the householders’ son’s former girlfriend had a key to the house which she had repeatedly asked to return but had failed to.

When neighbours were spoken to by the police one reported seeing a man walking away from the premises at lunchtime and gave officers a description.

Deville was arrested at the home he shared with the former girlfriend on Westcroft, Chippenham.

Jewellery taken in the raid was found in the pocket of a jacket which matched what the neighbour had told them.

Officers also looked in the loft of the house where they found 46 cannabis plants and some harvested leaf.

When he was questioned he told officers the gems had belonged to his deceased former partner.

He said he was in Tesco’s at the time he was supposedly seen outside the house but after checking CCTV they found he had been shopping two hours earlier than he claimed.

Deville, currently of Mexborough, near Doncaster, Yorkshire, pleaded guilty to burglary and producing a class C drug.

The court heard he had a long history of offending including another house burglary in 1996.

Mike Pulsford, defending, said that his client accepted both offences pleading guilty to them both at the first opportunity.

The drugs were being grown for his own use, he said, and there was no suggestion he was involved in dealing in them.

Deville, who had custody of a young child since its mother died, was now back living close to his family where he originally came from in the Doncaster area.

Mr Pulsford said his client was a realist and knew he was going to receive a prison term for what he had done.

Jailing him Judge Douglas Field said “I have to take into account that you have a long list for dishonesty. In 1996 you were convicted of the same sort of offence and I am afraid that is relevant.”