A PROLIFIC crook who raided a home then bought back some of the haul with his benefits’ cash, so it could be returned has been jailed for 26 months.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Wayne Bradbury, 28, helped himself to the victims' possessions, including a 3D television, while they were in bed at their home in the town, but there was no confrontation.

Bradbury also went stealing while on bail, and targeted a small, independent shop.

The defendant has almost 50 offences on his record, has served a four-year prison sentence for robbery and grievous bodily harm, and has, in the past, been made the subject of an anti-social behaviour order, which he has breached.

He has previous convictions for burglary, has appeared before the court for blackmail and has also flouted other court orders.

Bradbury, of Deerstone Avenue, Burnley, is now behind bars again after admitting burglary and theft.

The court was told Bradbury had 23 previous convictions, for 45 offences, and had started offending in 2002, when he was a youth, committing his first burglary in 2003.

In 2009, he was given three years’ custody for mugging a taxi driver, when he punched him and stole his takings.

In a separate incident, for which he was jailed for 12 months, he knocked a man to the ground after hitting him, and then set about him with a sweeping brush.

James Heyworth, for Bradbury, said he had tried to return some of the things stolen from the house.

He didn’t have them in his possession, but located them and bought them back with his benefits money.

The barrister continued: “It is a clear indication he has taken active steps to make reparation. It may be all too late."

The defendant had not helped himself by committing the theft after the burglary.

The theft had first been charged as a robbery.

But he had not issued threats and he had grabbed items from the counter, within easy reach and had then left the premises.