A BURGLARY suspect whose trainer left a dirty print at the crime scene told a court: “It had nothing to do with me – my son had my shoes on.”

Paul Taylor blamed his 16-year-old son, Matthew, for the break-in on Teesside.

Taylor, 43, admitted later using a chequebook taken in the raid to obtain money but insisted he played no part in the theft.

He told a jury at Teesside Crown Court that his son had borrowed his Nike size tens on the night of the raid at the home of a disabled 83-year-old.

The court heard how the day after Taylor was questioned and released, he phoned police and told them Matthew wanted to confess to the crime.

The teenager was also quizzed but was freed without charge when detectives refused to believe his “hurriedly-concocted” story that he was responsible.

David Crook, prosecuting, described the account of the father and son as “fanciful” and told the jury the evidence against Taylor was straightforward.

“The Crown says the defendant lives just around the corner from the address, his trainer print was found there and he had two cheques,” he said.

“The story he tells is concocted, hurriedly rushed together to distance himself from the serious aspect – that the house was burgled as the elderly man slept.”

During his evidence, Taylor said his son had no decent shoes of his own because the police kept taking them when he was arrested for unconnected matters.

The teenager said he had just a pair riddled with holes but put on his father’s new trainers “because I didn’t want go out looking like a scruff”.

Mr Crook asked him: “Has your father asked you to tell lies about this burglary?” Matthew replied from the witness box: “No.”

Mr Crook continued: “You are lying about this burglary. You didn’t commit it and you are covering up for you dad.” The teenager said: “I did it.”

Taylor, of Heslop Street, Thornaby, admitted two charges of fraud, and was found guilty of the Boxing Day burglary after a daylong trial.

The judge, Recorder Alistair MacDonald, adjourned the case for sentencing, and told him: “The jury have convicted you of this offence on very clear evidence. The likely sentence is one of custody."