Bungalow burglar spared jail

The gap was covered by two doors tied together with wire, a judge heard.

The occupant of the dwelling in Fletcher Street, Stourbridge alerted police after being woken by what he thought was the sound of somebody on the roof, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Miss Heather Chamberlain, prosecuting, said: "The bungalow was in something of a state of disrepair. One of the bedrooms did not have a window. This was covered by old doors secured together with wire."

Police called to the scene on June 29 found 28-year-old Kelvin Wakeman, who has a drug problem, at the rear of the property, it was said.

The officers also found the doors covering the window had been pulled apart and a welding machine, drill and floodlight taken from the bungalow were stacked up outside, continued Miss Chamberlain.

Wakeman's fingerprint was found on one of the doors that had been moved by the burglar from the window of the bedroom while the occupant slept in an an adjacent room, the court heard.

Mr Harbinder Lally, defending, said: "He knows he was stupid. The fact that this was a makeshift window does not make the crime any less serious but fortunately all the stolen items were recovered."

Wakeman from Balds Lane, Lye, had seven previous convictions involving ten offences, none of which were burglaries and the last of which was in 2011.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and was given a community order under supervision for two years with a 12 month drug rehabilitation requirement.

Recorder Adrian Reynolds told him: "I hope this is a sentence that will enable you to get drugs out of your life. They have been a long standing problem for you."