A BURGLAR who was filmed by a neighbour painstakingly removing a back window to break into a home in Burnley has been jailed.

Intruder Mark Donaldson turned up at the rear of a house in Hufling Lane with overalls to carry out the brazen raid, which saw him take electrical items and a small amount of cash, the town’s crown court was told.

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But Sean Mobey, who lives on the next block to the victim’s home, had filmed the entire break-in from his daughter’s bedroom window on a digital camera and later handed the footage to Lancashire Police.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said that police officers recognised Donaldson from the short film and he was arrested shortly afterwards.

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The burglar’s fingerprints had also been discovered on the large pane of glass which had been removed during the break-in.

Miss Kehoe said: “There had been an untidy search of the house and a mobile phone charger, a Nintendo 3DS and a small amount of cash was taken from within the property.”

The court heard that Donaldson was already on bail for another burglary, carried out the previous September in Ribblesdale Street, Duke Bar.

Donaldson, who was living next door, had targeted a house which had been under renovation that time and was awaiting a tenant, the court was told.

The landlord had interrupted the burglary in progress and managed to punch a suspected burglar in the face before he fled back to the neighbouring property, the court heard.

Miss Kehoe said that when police visited Donaldson’s home to speak with him about the incident he had an injury to his eye from the assault. The landlord identified him as the culprit later and the defendant’s fingerprints were found at the scene.

Donaldson, of Forest Street, Burnley, admitted the Hufling Lane burglary and burglary with intent to steal in relation to the Ribblesdale Street offence.

Jailing him for 21 months, Judge Beverley Lunt said the defendant, who had previous convictions for burglary and arson, had been ‘remarkably persistent’ in carrying out the Hufling Lane break-in.

Philip Holden, defending, said his client was resigned to his fate and had ‘settled into prison’ while on remand for the offences.

“It is rather a sad case. He has had a number of mental health problems, which are referred to in the pre-sentence report,” he added.

Mr Holden said Donaldson had also suffered from a heroin addiction and at the time of the burglaries he was effectively homeless, ‘sofa surfing’ between friends and at times sleeping rough.

“He does not seek to excuse his behaviour but this needs to be set in some of context. He was desperate at the time,” added Mr Holden.

Mr Mobey said: “It was lucky I saw him. I don’t know the people who live at the house but I saw this man tinkering with the back window and I just knew straight away he was up to no good.

‘I got my camera out and started filming him from an upstairs window before he even did anything because he looked so suspicious.

‘I just thought to myself ‘I’m having this guy. I can’t let him get away with this.’ It could have been my house and I would hope that one of my neighbours would have done the same thing.

‘It was bin day so a lot of the homes leave the back gates open and I think this man was trying his luck. It was brazen.”