A BURNLEY man woke up after a house warming party to find his friends had placed some of his furniture in the garden, a court heard.

But Amy Danielle Jones took the opportunity to rifle through Barry Wright's belongings and walk off with a cream-coloured throw, the town's crown court was told.

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Prosecutor Cecilia Pritchard said that Mr Wright's friends had removed items including a sofa and a lamp 'as a joke'.

But when Mr Wright woke up at around 5.30am he saw two people he didn't recognise walking out of his living room. One was Jones.

He managed to catch up with the pair and detained Jones with the help of a neighbour, returning her to his property in Millbank Crescent.

The court heard that the police were called and a cream-coloured throw and a light bulb were found in Jones' black rucksack.

Jurors were told that a jacket which had been left on the sofa was also found in a blue rucksack left nearby.

Miss Pritchard said that on checking his home further Mr Wright realised that a number of other electrical items and games equipment were also missing.

Some of the missing property was discovered in a neighbouring garden but a Nintendo Wii console, a mobile phone and games accessory were still outstanding to date.

Police also found two push bikes in the yard which Jones confessed belonged to her and a second man she had arrived on the scene with.

Interviewed later Jones accepted she had been 'mooching about' and had taken the throw and the lightbulb from outside.

But Jones denied ever going into the house, despite Mr Wright's evidence.

Jones, 28, of Colbran Street, Burnley, denied burglary with intent to steal but was convicted after a three-day trial. She had earlier admitted to a theft charge relating to the throw and lightbulb.

After her conviction Kevin Donnelly, defending, said that the majority of offending on his client's criminal record was of a dissimilar nature, and had mainly involved shoplifting.

Bailing her for pre-sentence reports until April 28, Recorder David Eccles said that there was a real chance she could lose her liberty at the next hearing.