A RAIDER who stole more than £600 of goods from a corner shop after sneaking in through the loft, has been warned he could face detention.

Timothy Slade, 20, struck three times after removing bricks from a neighbouring house, Burnley Magistrates heard.

The defendant, of Cleveland Street, Colne, admitted burglary and asked for two offences to be considered. He had no previous convictions.

He was bailed until May 2 for a pre-sentence report by District Judge Paul Firth who said he could not rule out custody.

Christiana Buchanan, prosecuting, said he victim had a shop on Walton Street, Colne, and began to realise stock was being taken from an upstairs bedroom. He could not understand why, as he had security grilles and locks on all external windows and doors.

The complainant began to keep a close watch, suspected an employee had been helping themselves and sacked all his staff.

He then manned the shop himself but continued to notice stock was going missing, as well as cash from the float.

Mrs Buchanan said the victim noticed footprints leading up the wall to the loft space and found bricks between his property and the house next door were loose. The house had been empty for two months.

At the time, the defendant was living at the house next to the empty property. The victim called in the police and Slade was arrested.

The prosecutor said Slade accepted he and another man had been into the victim's shop and taken the property. Goods worth £642 had gone missing.