A MAN who burgled a house after breaking out of an open prison had his sentence cut by judges yesterday.

John Moore, of Tennyson Avenue, Grangetown, Midddlesbrough, was in jail for a previous attempted burglary when he absconded from the open jail in May last year.

While on the run, Moore, 40, raided a house in Ingleby Grove, Stockton, gaining entry through a kitchen window.

He was implicated by fingerprint evidence left at the scene, Mr Justice Newman told London's Criminal Appeal Court, adding that Moore already had an "appalling record for dwelling house burglaries".

Moore was jailed for four- and-a-half years for the burglary, after pleading guilty.

Mr Justice Newman said the evidence against him had been overwhelming.

But the judge - sitting with Lord Justice Latham and Judge Michael Tilling - substituted a sentence of three- and-a-half years after concluding that Moore's original sentence was "simply too long".