A MAN given five months by a judge to keep his nose clean told him he thought he could do it.

Willlam Alderson, 21, who had tried to con a shopkeeper out of PlayStations and mobile phones to the tune of almost £300, had 55 previous convictions for theft, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Alderson, who got cigarettes worth £21 from a garage using a stolen credit card, had sentence deferred until next January 23 by Judge Raymond Bennett, who said he had "richly deserved," to go to jail.

The judge, who said use of the card was "red hot," added if the defendant kept out of trouble between now and next January, he would not go to prison. But, he warned, if he was charged with anything in the meantime he would be sent down for at least six months, if not longer.

Alderson told the judge he believed he could keep out of trouble and Judge Bennett replied: "You keep your promise and I will keep mine."

Alderson, of Keighley Road, Colne, had admitted deception and attempted deception.

The court had been told how the credit card was taken from a woman's handbag which had been stolen earlier.

After the defendant was arrested, he admitted he had used the card knowing it must have been stolen. The card had been signed by a woman co-defendant.