A BLACKBURN man who shared in his sister's Lottery win spent huge sums on drugs -- then went burgling when the money ran out.

Following his arrest, Nicholas Allan told police that he had intended to get himself arrested because he felt it was the only way he could beat his £200 a day crack cocaine habit.

Preston Crown Court was told that his good fortune had led to temptation and spiralling drug use. It ended with an 18-month jail term being

passed.

The 31-year-old, formerly of St Peter Street, Blackburn, had been committed for sentence for two charges of burglary. He asked for eight other similar offences to be considered.

Julie Taylor, prosecuting, told how the first offence was carried out at Blackburn College on September 12 when doors were forced open and £50 taken from a safe.

Some days later a burglary took place at a firm of building suppliers, Elmont Ltd, in Freckleton Street, Blackburn. The alarm had sounded one morning and a police officer who went to the scene saw Allan climb a high perimeter fence and then drop 30 ft into a culvert below.

The defendant was found hiding in bushes, between Canterbury Street and Harrison Street. He was arrested but nothing had been stolen.

Allan said his intention had been to get arrested and taken to prison because he had a £200 a day crack cocaine habit. He saw custody as the only way of combating the drug problem.

The court was told that Allan had 22 burglaries on his record, the vast majority commercial type.

Jacob Dyer, defending, said the burglaries, on an individual basis, did not involve high value. They had not been very sophisticated offences.

He had admitted numerous offences, for which there had not been direct evidence to implicate him.

Allan had a long-standing drug problem, having taken heroin and other substances from the age of 18. Following his release from an 18-month prison sentence, he had largely stayed drug free.

His sister had won money on the Lottery and he was given £10,000 in two halves.

Mr Dyer told the court: "He was in two minds whether to accept it, because he knew he was going to spend it on drugs. He took the money and began to spend it on drugs, huge sums of money.

"When ultimately that money ran out and he had had the second £5,000 he turned to offending.