A MAN with an ‘appalling’ criminal record who was caught on CCTV burgling a family home has walked free from court.

Clayton Buckett and a teen accomplice smashed their way into the house and stole electrical items. But after hearing he had moved in with his girlfriend’s family and said ‘I am never going back to Penhill,’ a judge imposed a community order.

Nick Fridd, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how a couple from Garson Road, Abbey Meads, arrived home to find a rock from the garden had been used to smash a glass panel in the back door.Inside The raiders had taken two laptops, headphones and an external hard drive worth a few hundred pounds.

Police seized some CCTV from the area which clearly showed two males on bicycles arriving at the scene and smashing the window. Police launched a Facebook appeal with the images and police officers managed to identify the Buckett and accomplice Zac Nicholson, 18. Buckett, of Hodds Hill, Peatmoor, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Delivering an oral report Probation officer Jackie Reynolds said he had moved away from Penhill, where he grew up, and was staying with his girlfriend’s family. She said he had a zero hours contract to work with a kitchen company and regularly works four full days a week.

Chris Smyth, defending, said: “The change seems to have come about about a week before he handed himself in to the police to acknowledge this offence.” Saying he was enjoying being in Peatmoor, he told the court “He said ‘I’m not going back to Penhill’.

Passing sentence Judge Jason Taylor QC said: “Burglary is a nasty crime, you need to realise it is serious.

“You made full admissions in interview, I accept what you said in interview that it was on the spur of the moment.

“You have an appalling record for someone of your age, the only burglary was in 2014. I am not minimising it but that was for a non-domestic premises.

“The last four or five months have been your saving grace as you have accommodation in another part of town with a supportive family.

“Not only that, you have work with a prospect of getting more work and you, according to probation, are doing very well.

“It would be counter productive for me to send you to prison today and I am not going to do that.”

He imposed an 128-month community order with 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement and 250 hours of unpaid work. At an earlier hearing Nicholson, of East Street, was put on an 18-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.