A BURGLAR who invaded his next door neighbour's home in the middle of the night and then got involved in a street fracas whilst on bail, has been jailed for 14 months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how ex-heroin addict, Paul Putterill, 35, claimed he was looking for his cat when police found him nearby, out of breath and sweating profusely. Putterill, who struck with an accomplice, had been on a curfew at the time.

The victims, then living on Cobden Street, Padiham, had moved since the attack on their home, in which two mobile phones and a watch had been taken.

The defendant, who has a record going back to 1991, had admitted burglary on May 4 and affray, last November.

Putterill's then neighbour Paul Fraser had been asleep in bed at 3.30am when he heard a noise from downstairs, went down and found the television on the living room floor. The back door was open.

In the other incident in November Putterill had been at home when a friend told him a 17 year old had been threatened with a knife by a man.

The defendant went to remonstrate, there was shouting and swearing and the man threw pots at him. Putterill was handed a small baseball bat and the man then came out with the knife. The defendant claimed he had only had the bat to threaten and not to use it.

Simon Gurney, for Putterill: “He is ashamed of his behaviour and remorseful for what he has done. He has a good awareness of the impact of these offences on the victims and the community at large.”

Sentencing, Recorder Raymond Herman told Putterill :"You are going to have to deal with your tendency to use drugs and make a new start in life."