HEROIN user Jamie Anstey asked a judge to jail him so that he can fight his drug addiction.

He told judge John McNaught that he wanted to undergo a rehabilitation programme behind bars.

Anstey is one of around 2,000 heroin addicts in Swindon.

And, like many others, he relies on crime to feed his habit.

He broke into a house to try to placate his drug dealer, a court heard.

Swindon Crown Court was told how 23-year-old Anstey, formerly of Islandsmead, Eldene, said he was forced into committing the burglary on a house in Hallam Moor, Liden, as his debt to the pusher was mounting.

He admitted the break-in when police found his fingerprints at the scene.

Jailing him for nine months, judge McNaught told him: "Nothing was stolen, but I hope you now understand that to go into someone else's home is a very great shock for the occupants and it has to attract a prison sentence. You seem to be making good use of prison and I'd like to encourage that."

Prosecuting, Ian Halliday said it was last September when a family went to bed in their Liden home only to find at 7.45am the next day someone had climbed in through the kitchen window.

"Nothing was damaged and nothing was missing," Mr Halliday said. "Fingerprints left, taken from the window, matched those of the defendant and he was arrested about a month afterwards."

Mr Halliday told the court Anstey said to police that he had gone into the house at the direction of his heroin dealer.

At the time of the offence, Mr Halliday said, Anstey was consumed by a £30 a day heroin habit and had fallen into debt with his supplier as well as others.

The court heard Anstey, who has previous convictions for dishonesty, realised people were in the house at the time and had not taken anything.

In mitigation, David Swinstead said his client would welcome a period of custody, having just completed a jail term.

"The defendant came out of custody towards the end of 2000," Mr Swinstead said. "He was with his mother for a while, he tried a drug rehabilitation course, he fell out with his mother and was addicted to heroin.

"His supplier supplied him with two to three £10 wraps of heroin a day and he eventually built up a debt."

Mr Swinstead said it was the drug supplier who told Anstey to "go out and get money".

After an unsuccessful attempt, the court heard, the dealer physically accompanied Anstey to Liden, noticed an open window and Anstey went inside to humour him.

Mr Swinstead said following the incident Anstey had striven to overcome his addiction, especially while remanded in custody, and was keen to return to prison to complete his rehabilitation programme.

"He has an opportunity," Mr Swinstead told the judge.

"He wants to go on the programme and in the interests of himself and the public I'm seeking a sentence that would allow him to do that."