A 22-year-old Accrington man who burgled a woman's home while she was keeping a medical appointment was caught after a neighbour recognised him.
Lewis Smith also left fingerprint evidence behind on glass from a window that had been smashed.
Smith of Elizabeth Street, who admitted burglary was sentenced to a community order with a curfew for four months. He must remain indoors between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
Miss Tina Langdale, prosecuting, said that on July 3 the woman returned to her home on Spring Street, Accrington to find she had been burgled.
A rear window was smashed and £80 taken from a bedside table. Smith approached her while she waited for police asking what had happened.
But the neighbour had seen him earlier after hearing the sound of breaking glass.
Judge Stephen Dodds, sitting at Lancaster Crown Court, told Smith it was a mean and sneaky offence.
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