A WOULD-BE thief caught trying to saw a mail box from a lamp post had been told it was antique and worth £150, a court was told.

Burnley magistrates heard how hard-up Andrew Roger Leonard, 37, made so much noise in the early hours escapade police were called.

Leonard, who cannot do community work because of an ulcerated leg, admitted attempted theft on July 27 and abstracting electricity.

Leonard, of Keighley Avenue, Colne, was given 180 days in jail, suspended for 12 months, with supervision and a three-month curfew on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

He was told if he had not pleaded guilty he would have gone to jail.

Andrew Robinson, prosecuting, told the court Leonard tried to steal the mail box from Salterforth.

Police arrived and found a hacksaw. Leonard was hiding behind nearby bushes.

He was arrested and said he was planning to sell the mail box for scrap. Leonard accepted he may well not have posted the mail on.

Brian Irlam, defending, said the attempted theft was naive and unsophisticated. He had been told by somebody the mail box was antique and was offered £150 to take it. Leonard had been in dire financial straits.

He had been trouble-free since July and had started on a Think First programme.

Leonard had been on a curfew for 21 weeks and had already been punished. He complied with court orders, and prison would not necessarily have the desired effect.