A THIEF who stole his mother's cheque book to draw £4,000 in cash from a building society has been jailed.

Burnley magistrates heard ex-drug addict Mark Bowers, 30, was already serving two years and nine months behind bars for wounding and affray.

It took police "a while to catch up with him" but when they did he confessed.

Bowers, then living with his mum on Woodlands Avenue, Edenfield, admitted theft, three charges of obtaining money from the Halifax Building Society in Bury by deception and asked for 14 offences to be considered.

He was given eights' month prison, concurrent with his present term, and was told that the offences were pre-planned.

The bench made no order for compensation but told Bowers he had a "moral obligation" to his mother.

Carl Gaffney, prosecuting, told the court Bowers had paid the cheques into his own account. The defendant was due to be released from jail in August 2005.

Sarah Goodchild, defending, said Bowers had had a drug addiction at the time and had been desperate.