A convicted thief has been sentenced for breaking into a garden garden using a shovel and stealing a chop saw and child's quad bike worth £1,500 after an afternoon drinking and taking cocaine in his neighbour's garden.

Andrew Thorley, aged 52, of Severnside Cottages, Canal Road, Newtown, pleaded guilty to committing the burglary in a garden in Barnfields, Newtown, when he appeared before Welshpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, August 29.

The court was told that the offence was "very much a spur of the moment" and left Thorley "ashamed and remorseful".

Thorley, who lost both of his jobs as a result of being charged with burglary, was ordered to complete a 12-month community order and 60 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard that the victim noticed his garden shed was unsecure on the morning of June 9, and found that his chop saw and his child's electronic quad bike were not there.

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Prosecutor Molly Rumsey told the court that Thorley was later found by police with an extendable magnet which police suspected was for the “intention to use for crime". All the items reported missing were recovered following a search of Thorley's home in Canal Road.

Thorley told police during an interview that he didn't know why he committed the crime but admitted that he was under the influence of cocaine, and he was drunk.

Paul Inns, mitigating, told the court that Thorley had fully co-operated with the police and even brought a stolen item to the station.

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"It was very much a spur of the moment, and he is ashamed and remorseful about his behaviour," he said.  

"All the property was recovered very quickly. It was an impulsive act with limited intrusion."

Probation officer Julian Davies said Thorley told him that he had been drinking "quite a lot" of cider, lager and vodka when he was "tempted" to have two lines of cocaine before leaving his neighbour's garden at around 3am on June 9.

"Mr Thorley tells me he doesn't remember much about the offence but has fractured memories of using a shovel in the shed door,” Mr Davies said. "He feels ashamed about what he's done and feels sad towards the victims."

Mr Davies told the court that the former gardener hopes to get a job following his appearance in court.

Magistrates were told that Thorley has 35 convictions for 125 offences including various violent offences, 34 thefts and eight drug offences with his last appearance in court in 2018 for public disorder.

Stephen Pembroke, chair of the magistrates' bench, told Thorley: "You said it was a one off, but we are going to give you a 12-month community order with 10 rehabilitation requirement days and 60 days of unpaid work."

Thorley was also ordered to pay a £114 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.