A MAN who burgled his neighbour in a bedsit three times has been jailed.

Wayne Price, aged 20, twice stole cash from a neighbour's wallet while he was out, Worcester Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

The victim contacted the police, who monitored the building in Pershore's High Street, said Peter Parson, prosecuting.

When Price tried to steal from the room a third time, he was caught in the act.

"The man went to work and came back in the afternoon to find someone had been in his room, removed his wallet from his jeans and taken cash," said Mr Parson of the first offence, which happened on Monday, November 11.

Price stole £50 on that occasion, before taking £90 in an identical burglary seven days later."

The offences took place within the space of two weeks last November.

Price admitted burgling the room after being caught by police the following week, on Monday, November 25.

"He said he was behind with rent and had money problems," said Mr Parson.

Price, of High Street, Pershore, also admitted burgling Cherry Orchard Primary School in Pershore and stealing books in January 2001.

He was caught after police found blood at the scene, and DNA tests linked him to the crime, said Mr Parson. Price said he was drunk and did not know what he was doing.

Richard Wilkes, defending, asked the bench to consider a community punishment because he had given an early guilty plea.

"He used a credit card to slip through the door lock, and went into the room to see what was there," he said.

"He did it when he was out and no damage was done."

Price's father paid the money back to the victim. Mr Wilkes said Price needed professional help to sort his drinking out, and a jail term would not help.

But magistrates imposed a three-month custodial sentence for the offences. They said the offences were so serious that only custody was appropriate.