A heroin addict who went on a crime spree shortly after magistrates put him on a community order has been jailed for 22 months.

Mark Bradley burgled a hotel room, stole his step brother's satellite navigation system and broke into cars stealing a chequebook which he then used.

But the 31-year-old has been jailed after a judge told him the public needs some protection from people like you'.

Claire Marlow, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how a pair of spray painters working in the town were staying at the Royston Hotel on Victoria Rod.

On Thursday August 23 they went to work first thing in the morning locking the door and leaving the key to their room on the rack at reception.

When they returned that evening they found both of their laptops worth £1,000 and £450 had been taken.

When the CCTV was checked it was found that Bradley, who was staying at the hotel, had taken the key from the rack and gone to the room to take the items.

Miss Marlow said two days later the editor of local newsletter the Stratton Outlook parked his car outside a pub on Oxford Road when it was broken into.

Among the items stolen was a chequebook which Bradley used to pay for a room at the Premier Travel Inn at Kembrey Park.

While he was there he stole a member of staff's mobile phone which was behind reception.

The spate of offending over a few days came a couple of months after Bradley stole his step brother's £400 sat nav system after asking to borrow it.

Knowing what he is like the victim insisted he sign a letter saying it would be returned the following day and had it witnessed by Bradley's dad, but it was never seen again.

Bradley, of Queens Avenue, Highworth, admitted two counts of burglary, two of theft and two deceptions and asked for nine further matters to be taken into consideration.

The court heard that the father of two had a long history of crime and was put on a community order by magistrates on June 14.

James Tucker, defending, said because of his client's dependency on drugs, and in particular heroin, he offended to fund that habit.

In the past he said Bradley had managed to get off drugs but at the start of the years the death of his mother set him back.

He said his client needed to get off drugs and was aware that a spell in prison would help him.

Jailing him Judge Douglas Field said "During the summer you indulged in a spate of dishonesty and the public needs some protection from people like you who go round thieving to fund their heroin habit."