A LETTER to his girlfriend that Martin Sewell forgot to post contained a confession to a criminal offence.

And the confession was enough for police, who found the letter during a search of his home, to charge Sewell with theft.

Sewell, 29, of Devon Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to theft of a mobile phone from Asda and going equipped for theft with a screwdriver. He was ordered to do 70 hours community punishment and made subject to a community rehabilitation order for 12 months.

David Hartley, prosecuting, said Sewell had been seen crouching between two cars on the B and Q car park.

He was chased by police who saw him throw something over a fence.

They recovered a screwdriver and later searched his home where they found the letter.

"It gave details of the theft and how he subsequently took it back to the store and obtained a full refund, even though he didn't have a receipt.

"Using the information, police viewed closed circuit TV footage which clearly showed Sewell claiming the refund."