A BURGLAR was caught after forensic police officers linked a speck of his blood to a crime scene.

Thomas Roberts had denied being responsible for a burglary at a flat in Sefton Court, School Hill, when 32 watches, a laptop, a passport and bank cards whilst their owner slept.

But 25-year-old, of Neville Close, Bolton, came clean when the laptop was found, wrapped in a coat which had his DNA on it.

At Bolton Crown Court Judge Timothy Clayson jailed Roberts for 32 months after hearing that he has a previous criminal record for domestic burglaries.

The court heard how Roberts and an accomplice had gone to the flats in the early hours of March 1 and managed to get into the building using a password belonging to someone they knew who lived in the block.

Once inside, they noticed the front door of one of the flats was unlocked, so the pair went inside.

The thieves could not carry all the valuables they wanted to steal as they had no bag, so they stashed the laptop in the communal bin store.

When the resident woke up, he realised he had been burgled. Searching, he found the laptop wrapped in an unfamiliar coat.

The man alerted police and forensic experts who examined the coat found a speck of blood on it, which linked it to Roberts.

After initially denying involvement, Roberts pleaded guilty to one count of burglary.

Nicola Gatto, defending, said Roberts admitted: “It’s not right. There’s no excuse and I’m wrong.”

The stolen goods had a combined value of around £2,000.

Ms Gatto said Roberts started taking drugs after his mother drowned in the sea during a family holiday when he was aged 14.

She added that on the night of the burglary Roberts had been taking Valium and he decided to chance his luck when he found the unlocked door.

Sentencing Roberts, Judge Clayson said: “This was a serious burglary and there was an element of planning because you had an accomplice and because you knew the password to get into the block of flats.

“Your personal history is a sad fact, but this is not the way to deal with it.

“You seem to do well in custody when you are away from the drugs.

“The period you will serve on licence will be make or break for you. Liberty is your real challenge.”