A MAN who was helped out by his mother's friend repaid her generosity by burgling her house and stealing more than £1,000 of property.

Drug addict Anthony Leach used a back door key to enter neighbour Barbara Giles's house after she agreed to give him odd jobs to earn money.

He returned to the house in Ainsworth Avenue, Horwich, several times and stole a laptop computer, jewellery, an ornamental telescope, a portable TV and £200.

Leach, aged 25, appeared at Bolton Crown Court for sentence yesterday. He admitted burglary and was jailed for 12 months.

Ann Hughes, prosecuting, said Leach's mother was a friend and neighbour of Mrs Giles. She had looked after Mrs Giles's dog when she was away and Leach had visited her and, unknown to her, had taken the back door key.

Mrs Giles thought she had lost the key and thought nothing more about it until Leach called one morning. She should have been at work but had overslept and had been surprised to see Leach on the doorstep asking her if she had any odd-jobs for him.

She came home later, found the back door unlocked and saw her house had been searched. She told police about the missing key and Leach's visit. Leach, formerly of Ainsworth Avenue, told officers he had used the stolen key to enter the house.

Jonathan Dickinson, defending, said Leach had moved to Gloucestershire after his release from a young offenderss' institution. But his young son, whom he regularly saw, died and he became depressed and turned to drink and drugs.

Judge Derwin Hope said the burglary had been a mean and nasty offence and Leach had failed to take the help that had been offered to him.

He had tried to commit suicide by taking a large dose of heroin and had ended up addicted when he was living with his mother.

He agreed that his burglary victim had shown him great kindness and had paid him for odd-jobs to help him out.