Watch thief does time for stealing Blackpool woman's Rolex

Preston Crown Court heard 36-year-old Jonathon Oulton had no idea of the watch’s true value and sold it for just £200 to fund his relapse into heroin addiction.

Oulton, St Albans Road, St Annes, admitted burgling a home on North Park Drive, Blackpool just after noon on May 18 and going on to commit two frauds by spending £180 on his victim’s stolen bank cards.

Prosecuting, Paul Cummings said: “The victim went upstairs to get changed before she went into the garden she left the side door open whileshe was in garden.

“The defendant went in through the open unlocked door. The house has CCTV which was looked at later.

“She then goes back in from the garden obviously not realisin he is inside. Nine minutes elapsed before he is seen to leave the address.

“The stolen bank cards were used about two hours later in a shop in St Annes. The overall cost was £180.”

Rachel Woods, defending, said Oulton was “desperate” after relapsing into drug addiction, and had even been stabbed after stealing money from his dealer.

She added: “The burglary itself, while of course serious, was relatively opportunistic because the complainant had just returned from being out.

“She wasn’t present in the property, she was still inthe garden when she was approach by a witness as he was seen blatantly walking down the drive with a hood over his face. He has had a long standing addiction to drugs. To his credit, since his last long sentence, from which he was released in February 2015, he was free from opiates for 17 months, working with the Revolution team in Blackpool and attending addiction meetings.

“Unfortunately after many months a relapse occurred, he had stolen some money from his dealer and as a result he became desperate for funds to discharge his debt.

“He received summary justice in that he was stabbed a number of times by the people he owed money to.

“Ironically this defendant didn’t think this watch was the genuine article - he sold it for £200 and has told the police where they can attempt to recover it from.”

Judge Mark Brown said: “The Court of Appeal has stated that domestic burglary is not just an offence against property, it’s an offence against the individual.

“As a result of your offence she has felt nervous and has been concern about sleeping at home on her own.”