A Darlington heroin addict was sentenced to ten months in prison by magistrates, yesterday.

Ian Pawlett, 34, appeared before Newton Aycliffe magistrates and admitted breaching a drug treatment and testing order imposed on February 24.

He also admitted receiving stolen goods between April 13 and 19 after officers arrested him and found golf clubs worth £700, stolen in a house burglary, in his possession.

Jacqueline Gibson, prosecuting, said Pawlett told officers he had found the golf clubs.

He also pleaded guilty to the theft of a Dyson vacuum cleaner on June 28, worth £179.99, from a shop in Newcastle, which Miss Gibson said he had told officers he would sell to buy drugs.

Pawlett also pleaded guilty to burglary after he entered a flat near to his home in Shakespeare Road, Darlington, on July 3.

Miss Gibson described how Pawlett was seen climbing into the flat through a window. When police arrived he jumped from the window.

He also admitted failing to surrender to custody on April 18.

John Wager, in mitigation, said: "If you lock him up he will still be subject to a heroin addiction and he will be taking heroin again within hours of release.

"A time in custody really doesn't address the problem. A drug testing and treatment order cannot be guaranteed to be successful, but hopefully it will and hopefully he will stay off heroin."

But magistrates said they were unhappy that Pawlett had already breached an order.

They gave him a five-month sentence for the burglary and five months for handling stolen goods, to run consecutively.

For the other offences he was given a total of five months in custody, to run concurrently.