A BURGLAR with an "appalling" criminal record is back behind bars for breaking into a bungalow while the householder slept.

Carl Thompson had only recently been released from prison and was said to have been desperate for money to pay his rent.

He was caught on CCTV cameras outside the property in Middlesbrough - wearing a coat he had stolen and trying to take the car.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he spent two hours trying to get into the Vauxhall Insignia in the early hours of July 10.

Police recognised the career criminal from the footage and his DNA was found on a cigarette thrown away at the scene in Acklam.

Yet, the 38-year-old wanted to have his sentence cut for pleading guilty - despite what a judge called "monumental evidence".

Recorder Eric Elliott, QC, told Thompson - who has more than 100 crimes on his record: "You really had little choice to admit it."

Thompson, of Matton Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 40 months today when he appeared on a life video-link from prison.

His barrister, Stephen Constantine, described Thompson's past as "depressing" and said his record was "truly dreadful".

He said: "He came out after his last sentence, and there were all sorts of problems with his accommodation and his benefits.

"He committed this offence opportunistically and, he says, in a moment of desperation. He was in dire straits

"He was being threatened with eviction, because he was unable to pay rent. I don't know what he's done with what he stole."

The court heard how the householder woke to find £1,000 in cash, sentimental jewellery and her car keys missing.

The money had been a gift from her father for a holiday, because she had to cancel her last one when her mother-in-law died suddenly.

In an impact statement, the victim told how she no longer feels safe, and is heartbroken that the jewellery - handed down from her mother and grandmother, and from an uncle in the US - cannot be replaced.

Mr Recorder Elliott told Thompson that the psychological damage to the woman is "untold" and said: "The impact has been dramatic."