A woman who was involved in the theft of a vulnerable man's bank card which was used to buy alcohol has been sentenced.

Anastasia Dearden, 28, appeared at Burnley Crown Court in March alongside Danielle Boyarin, 28, and Paul Birtwell, 32, where she pleaded guilty to burglary and two counts of fraud.

Judge Sara Dodd decided to defer Dearden's sentence at the time as she had been drug-free for a number of months.

She wished to see whether Dearden could remain on that path and said if she succeeded she would not be sentenced to an immediate prison term.

Dearden's charges related to an incident last year when on August 30, Christopher Garside, a vulnerable man, woke after hearing a noise in his flat in Gladstone Heights, Accrington.

Prosecuting, Emma Kehoe said Mr Garside went into the living room and saw two women who he named as Danielle and ‘Stacey’.

READ MORE: Women stole vulnerable man's wallet and attempted to buy alcohol using his card

On seeing him, the pair left the flat and Mr Garside quickly realised they had taken his wallet with them.

He soon received a message on his phone saying his credit card had been used. He then cancelled the card.

Further card activations were attempted at a booze shop close to Mr Garside’s home but they did not go through as the card had already been cancelled.

Boyarin went back to Gladstone Heights the following day to return the wallet with all the cards still there, though £100 in cash was missing.

Both women were arrested shortly after and provided no comment interviews.

Ms Kehoe said Dearden’s offending began as a juvenile and she has various convictions for not complying with court orders.

Dearden, of Altham Street, Burnley, was sentenced to 21 months in prison suspended for 18 months and given 20 rehabilitation activity days.

Boyarin's additional offending and Birtwell's offending were unrelated to Dearden.

In March, Boyarin, of Church Street, Accrington, was jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to burglary, two counts of fraud, assaulting an emergency worker, actual bodily harm, and being carried in a stolen vehicle.

Birtwell, of Burnley Road, Accrington, was convicted of aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen, and driving without a licence and insurance.

However, he pleaded not guilty to a separate offence of burglary in Accrington on February 19, accepting he did break in but denying any attempt to steal.

He will face a trial on this count on August 13 and will have all his charges sentenced together.