A BURGLAR who used a pram to carry his spoils from a burglary at a house has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Damian Greenhalgh was spotted pushing a pram with a saw balanced on top of it by neighbours in Lily Avenue, Farnworth, at 10am on February 5.

Rachel White, prosecuting, said 37-year-old Greenhalgh ran off when he realised he had been seen, but then went back to a house, knocked on the door then went round to the back.

A short time later he was seen putting a large grey box in the pram and wheeling it away.

The back door had been forced and the £200 contents of children’s money boxes were taken, as well as electronic gadgets.

After his arrest Greenhalgh was granted bail, but on March 25 he burgled the home of a 79-year-old man and his disabled wife in Longcauseway, Farnworth.

He stole their Nissan car, along with keys and a wallet which had been left on a table.

That same evening 42-year-old Paul Atack was caught on CCTV unsuccessfully trying to use cash cards from the wallet to get money from ATM machines.

Judge Peter Davies told Atack: “I think you knew where they had come from but you did not care.”

Atack was caught after a community support officer recognised the distinctive striped tracksuit they had seen him wearing earlier in the day.

Greenhalgh, of Harrowby Street, Farnworth, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and Atack, of Crompton Street, Farnworth, admitted attempted theft and handling stolen cash cards.

Nicholas Ross, defending Greenhalgh, said he was remorseful about the burglaries, which had been driven by his craving for heroin.

Thomas McKail, defending Atack, said he was withdrawing from heroin at the time of his offending.

As well as the jail sentence, Greenhalgh was also told he must pay his first victim £200 compensation.

Atack, because he has already spent 15 weeks in prison on remand, was sentenced to a three-year community order, with 12 months supervision and was ordered to take part in a drug and alcohol treatment programme.