AN 18-year-old who effectively learned about crime 'at his father's knee' was jailed for eight months by Blackburn magistrates.

The court heard that Michael Anthony Jackson had 35 previous convictions, mostly for offences of dishonesty and was in breach of two probation orders and two conditional discharges.

Jackson, of Honeyhole, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to handling a stolen moped, theft of 150 tapes from a car and being drunk and disorderly. He asked for a further offence of attempted theft from a motor vehicle to be taken into consideration.

David Hartley, prosecuting, said the first offence was the drunk and disorderly when Jackson was seen in the early hours of the morning harassing a female.

Police officers called to Infirmary Road saw Jackson and another man loading a red moped, worth £1,800 into a van, Jackson told police he had bought the bike for £50 from a man he refused to name.

Andrew Church-Taylor, defending, said the incident with the woman had arisen because Jackson had been wrongly accused of rape.

He said that as a young lad Jackson had lived with his mother and her boyfriend who was actively involved in criminal behaviour.