A man with a “very poor record” for theft has been jailed after stealing bank cards and using them to buy goods worth more than £200.

Preston Crown Court heard how Colin Bray, 36, had been jailed in 2022 for 14 counts of theft and was released on licence on February 17.

Just two days later on February 19, his first victim, who had left her car parked outside her home reported to police that her bank card had been stolen along with some chewing gum and scratch cards which she had left inside her car.

She noticed bank transactions had been made for £31.08 at Preston Parkway, £2.16 at Morrisons and £22.40 at Late Night Mini, totalling £56.18.

Bray was identified on CCTV using the bank card to make the transactions.

Two weeks later on March 7, the second victim, an elderly lady, was involved in a crash in which three men came to help and moved her car from the middle of the road.

After moving the vehicle they left and the woman later received a text from her bank informing her of some suspicious transactions involving two of her cards.

Her purse had been in her handbag in the passenger footwell at the time of the crash but she later found it missing.

The transactions, which amounted to £176.73 were made up of purchases from Tesco, Wensley Fold News and Late Night Mini Market.

The defendant again was identified using CCTV and he was arrested on March 9 where the bank cards were found on his person.

Bray, of Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, has 24 convictions for 60 offences, and pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by false representation, handling stolen bank cards and theft.

District Judge Jack McGarva said: “You’ve got a very poor record for offences of theft and you had only been released for two days from a custodial sentence.”

Bray was jailed for eight months and upon his release will be placed on post custodial supervision and licence.