ANTHONY Healey and two youths fled from a friend's house when they activated a burglar alarm after breaking in through a door.

But the consequences of their "joint enterprise" were very different for the three burglars.

Blackburn magistrates committed Healey, 20, of Perry Street, Darwen, to Preston Crown Court for sentence, despite hearing that one of the youths had been given a final warning by police and the other had pleaded not guilty and would eventually be dealt with by the juvenile court.

Healey was committed on bail.

Jonathon Taylor, defending, said the offence was very much at the lower end of the scale and it was significant that the police had dealt with one of the juveniles by way of a final warning. He said it was clear from his record that Healey was not a burglar.

He knew the young man called Matthew Aldred who lived at the house in Queen Street and he and his friends had called round to see him.

Mr Taylor said they had knocked on the front door and when there was no answer the two youths went round the back to see if they could get an answer.

When Healey followed the youths round they had already forced their way into the house and he followed them.

"In normal circumstances I would not waste my breath asking you to deal with a dwelling house burglary but there are unusual circumstances in this case which is quite clearly at the lower end of the scale," he added.