A PENSIONER traumatised by a night-time raid on her home told a court she had to take medication afterwards and feared going to bed.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Lee Watts, 31, was on the run from an open jail when he broke into the 73-year-old woman's Burnley home last July.

Watts, of no fixed address, was sent to prison for two and a half years, to serve on top of the sentence he is currently serving. He had admitted burglary and had been committed for sentence by the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale magistrates.

Judge Raymond Bennett told him he was not surprised to hear the victim did not now feel safe in her own home.

Neil Standage, prosecuting, said the woman went to bed at about 9.45pm and next morning to find a window open and a purse containing £75 taken from her living room.

Mr Standage said the victim's doctor had given her tablets for her nerves.

She was now frightened of going to bed and waking up in case somebody had been in her house overnight.

Watts, who asked for four offences to be considered, had 59 previous convictions.

Anthony Cross, defending, said Watts had a long history of offending and of burglary.

He had woken up in prison to find his cellmate hanged and that had a very disturbing effect upon him. It had been so grave as to serve as a reminder to him of what a life of crime could lead to.

Mr Cross added a custodial sentence must follow and to some extent it must be consecutive to his current term.