A FORMER pub boss went on a burgling "spree" when he went back to drugs after losing the premises.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Paul Ashcroft, 33, had realised his addiction was running away with him and was relieved to have been caught and arrested.

Ashcroft, of Waddington Avenue, Burnley, who had not been to custody for 10 years, was sent to prison for two years and nine months, after admitting three burglaries and being committed for sentence by Pennine magistrates. He asked for five offences to be considered.

The court heard one victim, a pensioner was awoken at 4am, when he heard a loud bang. He could not get back to sleep, went to make a cup of tea and found he had been burgled and goods worth £379 missing.

Ashcroft also struck at a woman's home after she went out for the evening and she returned to find her handbag turned out on the floor and computer parts missing. His third victim, a mother-of-three, was awoken to find her home had been broken into and electrical equipment worth £2,468 taken. Ashcroft was linked to the burglaries by forensic analysis of footprints left at the properties.

Roger Baldwin, defending, said the offences were a tragedy for the complainants and also for the defendant, who had a lot of decency but which was put to the back of his mind when taking large quantities of heroin.

He took far more drugs than he was accustomed to and committed offences he would never previously have committed.

He had gone on a "spree" between the end of September and beginning of November. Ashcroft had had difficulties with taking heroin over the years, but last Christmas had been offered a unique opportunity by his family to run a pub with his girlfriend.

The couple moved into the pub and ran it extremely well from Christmas until June.

His aunt then put her son in the pub to run it and told Ashcroft and his partner to leave. All the staff left in protest as well.

Mr Baldwin went on: "The defendant went back to drugs and took more and more. He lost his girlfriend and was mighty relieved to be arrested when he was. He was rapidly approaching a very early demise and was in a very bad state of health when arrested."

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