BUNGLING burglar Paul Hillier has been told by a judge to give up thieving because he's no good at it.

The 36-year-old was appearing in court to be sentenced for the seventh separate occasion on charges of house breaking when Recorder Ian Lawrie offered his advice.

Jailing him for two years the judge told him: "You're not very good at thieving, you're not very good at burgling; frankly you should give it up and sort out your life"

Earlier Tim Hills, prosecuting, told Swindon crown court how Hillier had broken into a ground floor flat on Shaftesbury Avenue on the evening of Friday, November 19 last year.

Householder Gemma Coxon, who lives there with her three year old daughter, had gone out with her partner at about 6pm, he said.

When they returned almost two hours later she saw the living room light was on, when she had left it off, and when she went inside she found out she had been burgled.

The thief had taken a DVD player and an assortment of jewellery worth a total of £736, the court heard.

Mr Hills said "The defendant's fingerprints were found on a goblet the living room.

"He was arrested the next day and said he couldn't remember committing the burglary saying he was 'Off his face on heroin'; his words.

"He said he didn't know Gemma Coxon and couldn't explain why his fingerprints were found on a goblet."

The court heard the defendant had a long history of offending dating back to 1982 and was convicted of house burglaries in 1986, twice in 1991, then in 1997 when he was jailed for two years, in 1999 he was put on probation and 2002 when he got 27 months.

At an earlier hearing Hillier, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Rob Ross, defending, said that his client had hoped a place could be found for him at Gloucester House in Highworth so he could detoxify in the community.

But he said that he was surprised to find that he was deemed not suitable for the scheme so accepted he was facing a custodial sentence.

"What can be said in respect of this man is that he came out of prison some time ago now having got that 27 month sentence," he said.

"He was recalled to prison not through re-offending but for missing appointments. He has lived rough and with a former partner who put him up. Through that time he wasn't offending.

"He can't remember this offence at all. He can't remember going to the flat, he can't remember if he was with anyone."

He said that he was released on bail prior to Christmas but drugs paraphernalia were found in his room at a bail hostel so he was remanded in custody, though he insists they weren't his.

Jailing him the judge said "Any domestic burglary is always going to be viewed seriously by the court and if anyone knows that you do because you've been before the courts in the past.

"I take the view that you are at your most dangerous when your mind is addled by drugs."

Tamash Lal