ONE of two men who broke into an Oswaldtwistle shop and looked straight into the CCTV camera before disconnecting the wire.

Blackburn magistrates heard Kieran Brendan Devlin was identified from the footage recorded before the equipment was tampered with.

Devlin, 32, of Porrit Close, Burnley, pleaded guilty to burglary at The General Store on Roe Lee Road, Oswaldtwistle and stealing and damaging property worth £1,649. He was committed in custody to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said among the items stolen were a charity box, batteries, razor blades, cigarettes and a quantity of cash.

She said the shop had been locked and secured but when the owner went back the following day he found his till in the back alley and the kitchen window completely removed. Inside, door locks had been broken and an untidy search of upstairs rooms had been carried out.

"The CCTV footage showed two males entering the shop and one looked straight at the camera before one of them disconnected the wires," said Miss Allan.

Imran Hussain, defending, said since the commission of the offence his client had been sentenced to 30 months in prison for other offences.

"Had this matter been dealt with at the same time it is unlikely he would have received a longer sentence," said Mr Hussain.