A £200-A-DAY heroin addict who raided and trashed a neighbour's home while they were away on holiday is behind bars for two years.

Burnley Crown Court heard how father-of-five David Thorburn, 33, told Judge Raymond Bennett:" I have just been a shoplifter for ten years. I know its not a nice occupation, but that's all I have done."

Thorburn, who suffers from hepatitis C and could have only ten years to live, had a £200-a-day heroin habit at the time of the offence and was told by Judge Bennett that he should have been looking after his neighbour's property while they were away.

Thorburn, then of Eastgate, Whitworth, had admitted burglary and using threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour and had been committed for sentence by the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale Magistrates.

David Temkin, prosecuting, told the court victim Anthony Catlow and his family lived next door to the defendant's mother on Eastgate.

In June, the family went on holiday but returned to find they had been burgled. Electrical items and children's games had been stolen and dog excrement smeared around. The defendant later turned up at the door of the Catlows, who were moving, said he knew where they lived and was going to burn the premises down. Mr Catlow's wife Linda had a panic attack and had to go to hospital.

Mr Temkin said when Thorburn was interviewed by police, he claimed he had never been in the neighbour's house. He said he had found the stolen property outside and taken it in to his own house for safe keeping.

When he was cautioned, he said he was very sorry for trashing the house, could not remember doing it and had ben "off his head" on Temazepam. The defendant had 78 previous convictions.