A BURGLARY victim tracked down his missing car and found the thief sitting in the driver's seat outside a pound shop.

Brazen Kevin Entwistle sneaked into the house on Halliwell Road and grabbed the keys to a Vauxhall Insignia while the family nipped next door to visit a relative.

Philip Hall, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court how prolific thief Entwistle got into the house after a back door was left unlocked at around 10am on July 4.

The car's owner, Krisztian Balog, was alerted to the theft of the car by a neighbour who spotted Entwistle on CCTV trying to activate the car's key fob before getting in the vehicle, parked on Back Clyde Street, and driving off.

Mr Balog went in search of his missing car and found it at 3pm in Ewart Street with 40-year-old Entwistle sat inside, smoking a cigarette.

But Entwistle locked the vehicle's doors and refused to open them before driving off, forcing Mr Balog to jump out of the way to avoid being hit.

The Insignia was next spotted in Quebec Street by a PCSO at 8.30pm that evening and Entwistle emerged from a house wanting to know why police were there.

As he was claiming the car belonged to a friend, Mr Balog arrived on the scene.

When Entwistle was searched, a gold chain which had been in the car, along with identity documents and bank cards belonging to Mr Balog were found on him.

And when the search continued a bag, containing a Tom Tom sat nav, which had also been in the car, was discovered.

When interviewed by police Entwistle, of Halliwell Road, insisted he was "1,000 per cent nothing to do with the burglary".

He claimed he had been been given the gold chain by the car's driver and had also bought the sat nav from him.

He admitted he had been inside the car but denied he had stolen it.

However, he later pleaded guilty to burglary and theft of the car, valued at £3,500.

The court heard that Entwistle already had 42 previous convictions for 110 offences, including seven for burglary.

He was sentenced to 876 days in prison for his latest crimes.