MEN who attempted to burgle a house fled when the homeowner was woken by a security app on his phone.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Christopher Clementson was asleep at his home in Runfield Close, Leigh on March 5 last year when he was woken at 12.40am.

"A notification on his phone had been sent to him by his home security system," said Daniel Calder, prosecuting.

"When he got out of bed and looked through a window he saw a male dressed in grey standing in his garden."

Mr Clementson then also saw two other men running away towards a silver BMW and when he checked his property he found that the patio door handle had been damaged.

The court heard that the car was driven away at speed and at 1.15am in Newbrook Road, Bolton, a police officer spotted the BMW and pulled it over.

"The driver was Kieron Poole and the other defendants were in the vehicle as passengers," said Mr Calder.

Mole grips were found in the vehicle but during police interviews all the defendants made no comment except Liam Booth, who claimed they had been travelling from a party.

Conor Cartwright, 18, of Kirkstall Gardens, Radcliffe, has already been sentenced to an 18-month community order after admitting attempted burglary and a further defendant, Jack Rouke, aged 18, of Tong Road, Little Lever, is to be sentenced at a future date.

Liam Booth, aged 23, of Snow Hill Road, Bolton and Kieron Poole, aged 23, of Daffodil Road, Farnworth, were due to stand trial for attempted burglary but changed their pleas to guilty.

At the time of the attempted break-in Poole, who was said to be the the getaway driver, was subject to a community order for unlawful wounding.

The court heard Booth has four previous convictions including one for burglary when he was aged 11.

Paul Wood, defending Poole, described the father-of-two as an "unsophisticated individual who does have some positive qualities".

Mr Wood and Rachel White, defending Booth, stressed that both men have been on electronically tagged curfews while awaiting sentence and have stayed out of trouble.

Judge Graeme Smith said both defendants had sought to minimise their involvement in the crime and he handed them suspended prison sentences.

He told them: "Anybody is entitled to expect that they can be safe and secure in their own home.

"To wake up finding a number of people in their garden trying to break into their house in the small hours of the morning is going to cause anybody very real concern, however strong-willed that person is."

Poole was sentenced to 17 months in prison, suspended for 18 months while Booth was sentenced to 14 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. Both were ordered to participate in 40 days of rehabilitation activities and were given 8pm to 7am electronically tagged curfews. Poole's is for three months and Booth's for two months.