A burglar has been jailed for going out thieving on the day he was supposed to be in court.

Liam Jewitt was due in court in Truro for one burglary but instead travelled 100 miles to Branscombe in East Devon, where he ransacked a pensioner’s home.

He then broke into another house in nearby Sidbury but left empty handed. He was eventually caught after he used a stolen bank card for a contactless payment in two shops which had CCTV.

Jewitt, aged 21, of Bishops Close, Saltash, admitted two counts of burglary and two charges of frauds and was jailed for 18 months by Judge Timothy Rose at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge Rose said: “On the day when you were supposed to be in court for the earlier burglary, you did not attend because you travelled from Cornwall with another man to commit these burglaries.

“I would be failing in my public duty if I did not impose an immediate prison sentence for these offences.”

Mr James Taghdissian, prosecuting, said the two burglaries happened on August 3 last year, both at the homes of pensioners in East Devon.

Jewitt and another man broke into a house at Sidbury at around noon while the owner was out for a few minutes.

They then moved on to the house at Branscombe, which they also broke into while the owner was out.

The pair stole 300 dollars, 250 euros, two laptops, a pair of cuff links, and two bank cards.

Jewitt and the second man were identified from CCTV in Co-op and McColls - where the two cards were used in transactions.

Mr Robin Smith, defending, said Jewitt received a suspended sentence for the Cornish burglary at Truro Crown Court in October last year and had been working with the probation service ever since.

He said he has performed very well on supervision, moved back to the stability of his father’s home in Saltash, and would benefit from being allowed to continue his progress.