A drunk burglar was caught while eating chocolate biscuits in a County Durham home he had burgled, a court was told.

Scott Donkin, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court to breaking into what he thought was a family member’s home in Peterlee.

Just two days after being released from prison, Donkin, who is from the Peterlee area, used a brick to smash through a glass door and enter an address in the Elm Tree Gardens area of the town.

The Northern Echo:

Heavily drunk, Donkin proceeded to cause several hundred pounds worth of damage to the property,  the court heard.

Officers found him in an upstairs bedroom, where he was eating chocolate biscuits and wearing clothes he had found on the floor.

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He was arrested on suspicion of burglary, and was informed during interview that the house was no longer occupied by his family member, but by a total stranger.

Donkin was charged with burglary and appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Monday, January 22, where he pleaded guilty to the offence.

The 30-year-old was remanded into custody to appear at Durham Crown Court on Monday February 16 for sentencing.