Burglar Robert Gillespie has been jailed for one year after he was caught out by a footprint.

Gillespie, 29, denied being involved in a break-in at Ashton Fields in Ashton Keynes when he was questioned by police.

But he was caught out by his shoe print which he had left on a piece of paper at the flat he had burgled.

A judge sitting at Swindon Crown Court heard that the forensic evidence proved that Gillespie had been in the flat and he eventually decided to plead guilty.

Nick Hawkins, prosecuting, said the owner of the house had left her home in the morning of March 30 and returned at 4pm to find it had been burgled.

He said a pane of glass had been smashed and the intruders had leaned through to open the door from the inside.

Various items were missing including about £300 from an earthenware pot including money from America, France, Greece and the Dominican Republic. He said other loose change was also taken along with clothing.

By chance, a police patrol spotted Gillespie, a banned driver, behind the wheel of a Seat Ibiza in East Swindon and arrested him.

In the vehicle they found a variety of items including £188.53 and foreign bank-notes. They also discovered clothing, a bag and a wallet which were later found to have been taken in the burglary.

As well as admitting the burglary, Gillespie, of Queens Drive, Walcot, asked for two thefts to be taken into consideration.

Both were committed at drop-in centres in Swindon and involved the taking of a purse and a bag, both containing money.

Rob Ross, defending, said his client had a poor record of previous convictions which was mainly due to his low level of education.

He said that as well as only just being able to read and write he also had a speech impediment and was prone to being influenced by other people.

"At Ashton Keynes he was with another person and it is absolutely clear to me that it was the other person's idea," he said.

He added that he had occasional drug and alcohol problems but was neither an addict nor an alcoholic.

Judge Paul Barclay sentenced him to a year in prison for the three offences.