A BLOOD stain on a Chinese takeaway restaurant till enabled police to implicate the culprit of a burglary.

The resulting DNA profile was a match for 34-year-old Neil Mundy, a frequent burglar of commercial premises over the years.

Durham Crown Court was told the co-owner of the Wonder Kitchen, in Chester-le-Street, discovered the overnight forced entry, on opening up, on August 16.

Lesley Kirkup, prosecuting, said a window was smashed at the Carlingford Road premises, with evidence of an ensuing "untidy search".

Around £50 was missing from the damaged till, which needed replacing, at a cost of a further £250.

Mrs Kirkup said although there were no other claims for damage, the owner told police: "This crime really annoyed and inconvenienced her.

"Evidence implicated the defendant from the DNA taken from the blood found on the till."

Mundy was arrested on September 9 and, after initially saying nothing, told police he was out with a friend and his dogs, and claimed the other person gained entry via the glass door.

But, he refused to give further information as to what was taken.

The court heard he has 30 convictions covering a total of 63 offences, including a number of commercial and domestic burglaries.

Mundy, of Wynyard, Chester-le-Street, admitted burglary at a previous hearing.

Today's sentencing hearing was told the crime put him in breach of a 39-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, for snatching cash from a roadside filling station kiosk, imposed in March.

Andrew Finlay, for Mundy, told the court: "He’s made progress since March and he’s about to start employment after a successful two-week trial."

Judge Christopher Prince said: "I have received an extremely good report from the Probation Service and, although I’m not prepared to believe your account of the incident, you seem to have been doing well on a community order."

He, therefore, imposed a further six month community order, with an 8pm - 6am curfew for the first four months, and extended the operational period of his suspended sentence by three months.

Mundy must also pay £300 compensation to the takeaway owners.