A HABITUAL thief and gambling addict who attempted to steal tools from a storage unit just one month after being given a final chance by a judge has been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Peter Roy Everall, 44, of Hudrake¸ Haslingden, had successfully appealed a 16-week prison sentence in Manchester in September and had it suspended for 12 months.

The burglary sentence also came with an order of 100 hours' unpaid work but the court heard how Everall, who has appeared before the courts 97 times for 268 offences, had completed just 30 minutes of work by the time he committed his latest offence.

Prosecuting, Francis McEntee said the complainant Glen Burnie had been alerted to the presence of Everall at his property in Crown Point Road, Burnley, at 10.30am on October 4 by his dogs barking.

When he went to investigate he saw a bald man with tattoos on his neck walking away from the unit towards red Vauxhall Corsa with drill cases in either hand.

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As Everall went to put the cases in the boot of the Corsa, which contained tools the defendant had already stolen, Mr Burnie asked Everall what he was doing.

He responded: “I am just packing the tools up for the lads on the job.”

Not believing him, Mr Burnie told Everall to sit in the back of the car and wait for the police to arrive.

Mr McEntee said it was at that point Everall started pleading with Mr Burnie not to call the police and even offered him money.

A short time later a friend of Mr Burnie arrived and Everall ran off grassland.

But as he ran he trampled down the grass, leaving a path for police to find him.

Everall pleaded guilty to burglary.

Defending Chris Richards said his client had been battling a gambling addiction, his main vice being fixed odds betting machine, but he was attempting to turn his life around and had recently taken part in a national scheme to have himself self-excluded from every betting shop in the country.

Mr Richards said: “He looks on his past with regret and thinks 'what have I done?'.”

Jailing Everall for 32 weeks, Judge Beverley Lunt said: “It’s now got to the stage that all the courts can do is protect people from you and protect property from you.”