A burglar used a stolen bank card to buy a McDonald’s after creeping into a house and grabbing a pensioner’s wallet before buying £18 worth of food.

Cory Davison targeted three homes in a matter of hours when he crept into the properties to help himself to cash, bank cards and car keys.

The 34-year-old also stole 50p when he rummaged through a parked van looking for cash to fund his drug habit.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Davison carried out the seven offences over a six-day period last month and on at least occasion he was wearing a Halloween-style mask.

Emma Atkinson, prosecuting, said the defendant’s crime spree started in the early hours of June 30 and came to an end on July 5 when he handed himself into police.

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She told the court how Davison targeted a 62-year-old woman’s house on Elmwood Grove, Stockton, after he entered her property through an insecure patio door before ransacking the kitchen.

“She went to check on her purse but it was no longer there; it contained a number of store cards and a bank card along with £30 in money,” she said.

A check of her bank account revealed Davison had spent £12.05 in the early hours and the incident had left her ‘frightened’ and worried he ‘would return for more’.

The Northern Echo: Cory DavisonCory Davison

The second burglary happened on Leicester Road, Norton, when Davison crept into his home and stole his laptop, rare £2 coins and his silver Volvo estate was stolen but later recovered from near the defendant’s home.

The third burglary happened on the same day, July 5, on a nearby property on Cherry Tree Gardens.

Miss Atkinson said Davison entered the home through an open door before rifling through the victim’s trouser pockets and stealing his wallet.

The victim was alerted by his bank when it contacted him about some unusual activity on his account when the defendant used his card to buy a McDonald’s and twice at a service station.

The final offence happened when Davison stole 50p from a parked van while he was wearing a Halloween-style mask.

Davison, of Talbot Street, Stockton, pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary, two fraud charges for using the stolen bank cards, a theft from a motor vehicle and taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent.

Emma Williams, in mitigation, said her client had turned to drugs following a difficult few years but was now clean after being remanded in custody and wants to stay of drugs.

She added he had not spoken to family members for over a year after he distanced himself from them due to his drug addiction and his ‘shame’ about his lifestyle.

Judge Howard Crowson sentenced Davison to a total of three years for all offences and urged him to stay off the drugs.

He added: “It was drugs that got you into trouble in the first place.”

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