A CALNE man who raided the garage of motorbike enthusiast so he could steal his tools has been spared a jail term.

Kevin Wood also went through the conservatory of the house after sneaking in to the property in the dead of night in a bid to better his work prospects.

But after hearing how the 26-year-old of Braemor Road, Calne, was sorry for what he had done and that most of the stolen property was returned a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how Neil Bamford awoke at 3am to see lights on in the garage of his home in Webbs Court, Lyneham.

He went down to find the key to the conservatory gone. When he looked in the garage he found the door open and his collection of tools which had been accumulated over 40 years had gone.

He reported the burglary and police found traces of the defendant's blood on the conservatory door.

When he was questioned Wood said he had recently lost his job as he had been working for nothing after his boss accused him of damaging some equipment.

He said he was overdrawn and had seen the garage door open and decided to go in and take what he could, loading it into his car and driving off.

Miss Hingston said that when they searched his home they found almost all of the haul, which was returned to the victim.

As a result of the raid she said Mr Bamford fitted CCTV and an alarm and his family and neighbours felt less safe in their homes.

Wood pleaded guilty to burglary. The court heard he had previous for possessing drugs, criminal damage and drunk and disorderly.

Mike Jeary, defending, said his client was a single man who lived at home and had always been in work since leaving school with no qualifications.

He said he was in the building industry as a plant operator and had been working on the old RAF base.

Money had become tight as he was not getting paid following damage to items at work which was coming out of his pay packet, though he thought it was an accident.

"He noticed the light on and this garage door open in the evenings as he drove past. In the end it got too much," said Mr Jeary.

"He goes in and takes the items. He said 'I took them to be able to expand what I do to extend my work'. When the police come round there they were.

"So far as the conservatory, he said he went in, lost his nerve thinking this is going too far."

Passing sentence Recorder Frank Abbott said: "This was a mean unpleasant offence. You thought you could make your own life better by stealing other people's property. It is too late now to apologise because that effect is permanent."

He imposed a 12 month jail term suspended for two years with 200 hours of unpaid work and told him to pay £500 compensation with £280 court costs.