A prolific thief - given an Asbo after breaking into a car with a hidden camera - has fallen foul of a hidden lens again.

David Coutts was filmed smashing his way into a vehicle which had been wired up with covert cameras in a police sting for the second time.

After the first theft the 36-year-old was given an Asbo in October last year.

Coutts, who has already breached his Asbo three times, also broke into a further four cars to steal items to funds his drug habit.

But a judge at Swindon Crown Court adjourned passing sentence to see if a community order with drugs help and accommodation could be arranged.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, said: "The defendant has a long record of criminal convictions stretching back well over 20 years.

"These days his principal offending is breaking into cars to steal things to sell quickly to raise money for his next fix."

In October last year Coutts was put on a two-year Asbo banning him from all public car parks in Wiltshire apart from the one outside his solicitor's office.

But he continued to offend breaching the order twice earlier this year and receiving short jail terms each time.

Mr Meeke said he was out of prison by Tuesday August 28 when he broke into a car in the Fleming Way car park and stole a laptop.

"The vehicle belonged to the Wiltshire constabulary and contained a number of covert cameras precisely to pick up who was breaking into cars," he said.

About a week earlier the defendant had taken £40 from another car in the same car park also in breach of the Asbo.

Coutts had also broken into three cars on the morning of Wednesday, June 20, stealing three crates of beer and a £1,000 laptop from one, a gold signet ring from the second and three CDs, a torch and binoculars from the third.

Later that morning he was found with a friend gouging the putty from the window of a closed-down crack house in Emlyn Square.

Coutts, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft, three of breaching his Asbo and one of criminal damage.

Rob Ross, defending, said days after the latest offences his client had managed to be prescribed methadone and was off heroin.

But after being remanded in custody he had been clean of even that and was now the first time in many years had no drugs at all in his system. He said that were Coutts released on a community order or suspended sentence it would be his best chance to reform and stay off drugs.

Recorder Nicholas Haggan QC remanded Coutts in custody.

Adjourning the case to Tuesday, October 16 he said he was not promising he would not impose a jail term but hoped further inquiries would help him reach a decision.