A burglar with a "shocking record," 37-year-old Kevin McCormick, was jailed for three years at Truro Crown Court after admitting seven offences with a further 17 taken into consideration. Judge Jeffrey Roper also activated consecutively a 120-day suspended sentence he had breached.

McCormick, who was said to have been living with friends in Newquay and St Austell, was told his record of previous offences over 26 years was "extraordinarily bad" - it included a five-year jail sentence for robbery.

The judge said the sentence would have been four years but for McCormick having admitted offences he was advised the police would have had difficultly in proving.

Prosecutor Ron Ede revealed that McCormick had broken into homes in St Austell, in one of which a couple and their child were asleep, and St Stephen. He had taken a car without consent and had been found just 300 yards away slumped in the driving seat. He had taken another vehicle which he had crashed against a wall, he had stolen a CD system from a car and been found in possession of a small quantity of amphetamine.

Defending, Iain Leadbetter said that McCormick had told him he would probably be 40 before he was released from jail and that he did not want to live that sort of life any longer, just existing between prison and drifting around homeless outside. A report of his activities in jail had been encouraging.