A 20-YEAR-OLD who went of a four-week crime spree has been sent to jail for more than eighteen months.

Nicholas Mutter's spate of offending in January culminated in him being found asleep in a stolen car on the Green Lane playing fields at Devizes.

At the time he was not only on licence from prison, but on bail for a string of offences including thefts, dangerous driving, obstructing police and numerous other motoring matters.

Kate Brown, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the first offence took place in Melksham on January 3.

A woman left her car parked in the Somerfield car park when she went to work in the supermarket, but on returning she found it had been broken into and the jack and excise licence were missing.

On the same evening another car in the King Street car park was also broken into and the spare wheel, jack and wheel brace, and purse were taken.

Miss Brown said that night Mutter, of Waiblingen Way, Devizes, who was with friend Kevin Cooper, was spotted by police.

She said officers arrested Cooper put him in the back of a patrol car.

"The defendant went past the police vehicle and opened the door to enable Cooper to escape," she said.

The following day he was questioned by police and admitted breaking into the cars and taking the jacks to work on a car he was driving at the time.

After being charged with the thefts and obstruction, police released him on bail to appear before magistrates the following week but he failed to turn up.

She said he was spotted by police ten days later at 7.45pm on January 20 driving in Northgate Street, Devizes.

"The officer knew he was the holder of only a provisional licence," she said.

Mutter sped off at 40mph and hit a kerb. He led police on a three-mile chase at speeds reaching 60mph.

The pursuit came to an end after Mutter drove up a dead end farm road. He was again released on bail but a week later was found in a stolen car .

Miss Brown said: "The theft was reported and the police heard that a car had crashed into the Green Lane sports field. Sleeping in the vehicle were the defendant and Cooper."

The court was told that Mutter had 39 previous convictions including offences of aggravated taking without consent from 1999 and 2000. He was jailed for 11 months last September.

Mutter admitted dangerous driving, careless driving, aggravated taking without consent, two thefts, obstructing a policeman, failing to surrender, four counts of no insurance and three of driving without a licence.

Peter Codner, defending, said: "He is perhaps the bravest and most reckless of the bad lads in Devizes. The police can't stand the sight of him. His history of offending has for the great part been petty. Many people in Devizes have lived, so to speak, vicariously through him and his misbehaviour."

Jailing him for eighteen months plus 80 days of the previous sentence, Judge Charles Wade said: "Your driving potentially put at risk other road users.

"For someone your age you have frankly an appalling record for motoring, dishonesty and violent offences."