A DRUG addict who "flagrantly abused" chances by the courts to keep him out of custody has been sent to prison for 18 months.

Andrew Pullen breached community rehabilitation penalties three times in nine months, Worcester Crown Court heard.

He had admitted burglary, theft, deception, making a false instrument and failing to surrender to bail.

Judge Ian Morris said Pullen, aged 21, of Long Acres, Ledbury, "simply went on committing offences in a completely audacious way".

"I gave him a very real chance to sort himself out, and magistrates bent over backwards to help him, but he flagrantly abused it," he added.

Gareth Walters, prosecuting, said Pullen and a 17-year-old accomplice broke into an unnoccupied house in Malvern and stole electrical goods and jewellery worth £881.

He stole a pack of beer from the One-Stop Shop in Ledbury, returned to tell staff he was going to steal more beer and then made off with an eight-pack.

Refused benefit by the DSS, he found a sick note and tried to present it as his own, but the ruse failed.

Pullen also obtained £10 of petrol without paying, stole goods from three other shops and failed to appear at court.

He had a record going back to 1999 and had previously had a community penalty revoked and six weeks custody substituted.

James Dunstan, defending, said he had led the desperate, chaotic lifestyle of a heroin addict and took no steps to avoid being caught for his crimes.

He left home at 18, began drinking heavily and then fell under the influence of a man at a hostel, who led him into burglary.

Judge Morris told Pullen he hoped he would be drug free by the time of his release.