A JUDGE gave a burglar a last chance after hearing how he was responding to therapy for a drug habit.

Ashley George broke into a woman's house and stole a £400 camcorder.

He sold the equipment for £15 to buy drugs and went on two shoplifting expeditions, Worcester Crown Court heard.

But during three months in custody on remand, the 24-year-old had shown commitment to drug group work and intended to remain drug- free, said his barrister Nicolas Cartwright.

George, of Carwardine Green, Newton Farm, Hereford, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft. He was given a 12-month drug treatment and testing order.

Judge John Cavell said, at Thursday's hearing, his offending had "plainly been generated" by his addiction to hard drugs.

He added: "This is your last chance. If you don't take advantage of it, the public will have to be protected - which will mean a long prison sentence."

Gained access

George raided a house in Muir Close, Hereford, in September last year after spotting a first floor window open, said Pardeep Tiwana, prosecuting.

He gained access from a flat roof, taking the camcorder from a bedroom. The occupant was at work.

The defendant then called at a friend's house and insisted the equipment belonged to him, before selling it to her.

Mr Tiwana said George also took the security tags off four shirts that he tried to conceal as he left a store. He was stopped by a security officer.

Three days later, in a Hereford branch of Tesco, he attempted to hide stolen jars of coffee in a baby's buggy, but was caught again.

George had a long record for dishonesty going back to 1996. It included theft, handling stolen goods, deception, and assault with intent to rob.

Although he had an unattractive past, this was his first conviction for burglary, said Mr Cartwright.

Under new guidlines for judges, he did not have to be given an automatic jail term for a first offence, he added.