A MAN who burgled his girlfriend's house just hours after being released from a police station has been spared jail.

Simon Hutchings, 26, went out drinking having been let out of the cells for damaging the woman's oven door during an argument at her home in Royal Wootton Bassett.

And Hutchings then scrambled over a gate to get through the open back door of the house in Glenville Close while she was at home.

Once inside the property he sneaked about undetected and stole a set of keys and a bank card, neither of which have ever been recovered.

But after hearing how Hutchings, who has a previous conviction for burglary, was trying to get off booze a judge imposed a suspended sentence.

Mark Ashley, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court the offence took place on Monday, March 17, last year.

He said: "The victim of this matter is the girlfriend of this defendant. On the day before this burglary took place, in short, there was an argument: criminal damage to an oven door.

"The long and short of it: this defendant was arrested by the police, he was later released by the police, he seems to have then gone and had a good drink.

"He was then under the influence when he then went in to this property the following evening and stealing a bank card and keys.

"His position was he hadn't gone in, but there was a jacket with his DNA on which had been used to climb over the gate in to the back garden.

"He said 'I was just watching her and didn't go in to the property'. He did take the bank card and keys, neither of which have been recovered."

Hutchings, of Marlborough Court, Royal Wootton Bassett, initially pleaded not guilty to burglary but changed his plea on the morning of trial.

Paul Trotman, defending, told the court that soon after the offence his client was jailed for 12 weeks for other matters.

Since being releases in May last year he said he had been out of trouble and his alcohol consumption had been moderated to just social drinking.

He said his client's previous conviction for burglary took place when he went into a room in a shared house and took £600, belonging to his brother, for drink.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Blair QC said: "The fact of the matter is since you were released in May you plainly have been making efforts to get your life in order and I am going to permit that to carry on.

"Keep working on keeping yourself away from the demon drink."

He imposed a 16-month jail term suspended for 18 months with a 12-week night time tagged curfew, nine months of supervision and five sessions of an alcohol education package.