A MAN who gave an old school friend's name when he was arrested for breaking into a car has been jailed for a year.

Teesside Crown Court was told how Kevin Taylor's bid to beat the law landed his former classmate behind bars.

But yesterday, justice caught up with Taylor when he was sentenced for theft, perverting the course of justice and given additional time for breaching the conditions of his release from prison for earlier crimes.

The court heard how Taylor, of Lowfield Avenue, Brambles Farm, Middlesbrough, had a record of 31 convictions for dishonesty.

He was first locked up in 1997 for 30 months for offences of robbery, burglary and theft, and most recently for 18 months in 2002 for going equipped to steal from vehicles.

Rupert Dodswell, prosecuting, said Taylor, 23, was one of two men seen breaking into a van in Middlesbrough and taking a toolbox each in the early hours of June 21 last year.

Taylor was caught after being followed by an onlooker, and in interviews he said he would have sold the tools had he got away.

He gave a false name to police and then claimed he felt ill because he had taken pills, and was rushed to hospital.

Taylor fled from the hospital and was not arrested for a further five months - during which time his old school friend had already been caught by police, until they realised he was not the man they wanted.

Taylor's barrister Shaun Dryden said he had been drinking heavily and had taken Ecstasy before his stealing spree and his judgement had been impaired by what he had consumed.

Judge Les Spittle jailed Taylor for six months for theft, three months consecutive for perverting the course of justice and a further 90 days on recall for his previous offence.