A PHONE sold for £30 after being found on a car park contained 'priceless' videos and photographs of the owners 18-months-old son.

Blackburn Magistrates heard there was a debit card in the phone case and by the time the owner returned to the car park it had been used to make several contactless purchases of alcohol.

And the teenager responsible claimed he also found a wallet on a separate occasion and used the debit card in that to make contactless purchases.

Owen Andrew Lord, 18, of Schofields Road, Rawtenstall, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft and two charges of fraud. He was made subject to a community order for 12 months with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Catherine Thornburn had parked on the St James car park in Rawtenstall. As she returned to her car she was approached by an elderly lady who asked for her help about car park tickets.

"She made a phone call to help and then put her 18 month child in the car and then left," said Miss Allan.

"She realised she didn't have her phone and returned to the car park. The phone, which contained her debit card, was not there. She rang the bank immediately and was told it was already showing transactions having been made."

Miss Allan told the court that £74 had been spent using contactless payment on the card.

"She had to pay £75 excess on her phone but worse than that she has lost all her videos and photographs of her son which are priceless to her," said Miss Allan.

She said Stephen Graham had got off the bus in Rawtenstall and realised he no longer had his wallet. He contacted the bank immediately but it had already been used to make contactless payments totalling £162.

"A police officer did recover the wallet minus the bank card and £20 in cash," said Miss Allan.

Salina Akhtar, defending, said both thefts were by finding and had been opportunistic.