A CRIMINAL who helped himself to free electricity from a by-passed meter claimed he did not know how to contact the suppliers.
Burnley magistrates heard how Gavin Thomas, 29, was on a community order with a curfew.
He had a record mostly for theft and burglary.
The defendant, of Larch Street, Nelson, admitted abstracting electricity between October and November and failing to surrender. He was bailed for pre-sentence reports.
Richard Taylor, defending, said the house belonged to Thomas' girlfriend. He noted the meter had been interfered with and thought it was easier not to interfere further with it.
The defendant, who had a lengthy record, had been out of trouble for a year.
He had spent the night in custody.
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