A FATHER-of-three who stole cash from his daughter's school was slammed by a judge and jailed for nine months.

Gary Hughes, 35, took £120 from Holy Trinity CE Primary School, Raglan Road, Burnley, after dropping the child off late.

The judge told the defendant, who has 26 previous convictions for theft and who was captured on CCTV creeping back into the premises: "How your daughter must feel, knowing the rest of the school will be aware that her father was convicted of sneaking in and taking the money, I don't know." Judge Bennett said "once upon a time" school doors never needed locks because it was not necessary. He said there was no CCTV either but nowadays it was needed to stop light-fingered people like Hughes committing crime, or at least catch them.

Hughes, of Accrington Road, Burnley, had earlier been convicted of theft after a trial at Burnley Crown Court.

David Oultram, prosecuting, said Christine Bell, the then school secretary, was counting out more than £500 belonging to the school. She left her office for five minutes and when she returned, £120 was missing.

A CCTV video of the school entrance showed Hughes leaving the school for a few seconds after dropping his daughter off late. He then came back in the school before the security lock door closed. One other person was seen entering the school around the same time but that was a member of staff.

Mr Oultram said the video was shown to the police and the defendant was later interviewed. He denied the offence.

Rod Priestley, for Hughes, said his last conviction before this was in 1998. It appeared the defendant, who had a long criminal record, was beginning to break with his past. He was succeeding to a degree and becoming a responsible parent.

Hughes and his partner had been together for 11 years and he was said by her to be a "worthy househusband."

Hughes took responsibility for much of their domestic life and she would say he was in charge of the main parenting tasks.

Mr Priestley said Hughes' partner had found the last few weeks while he had been on remand in custody difficult. One of their children was being bullied at school and the defendant's partner had started taking anti depressants although she did not want to.

It had not been an easy year for her as she had recently been told she had pre cancerous cells after having a smear test. It was all the more difficult for her because the defendant had been incarcerated.

The barrister added over the last two years, Hughes, who had been in custody three weeks, had been starting to have a good work record and was showing himself as a responsible member of the community.