A TEENAGER once known as the "Singing Defective" and one of the region's most infamous youth criminals was jailed for more than two years yesterday.

Dean English, 19, of Basingstoke Road, Peterlee, County Durham, was jailed at Teesside Crown Court after admitting attempted burglary and handling stolen goods.

English, who got his nickname from detectives in Peterlee after singing his defiance at them as they struggled to interrogate him, once went on a radio phone-in to boast he was above the law.

He was blamed for one-in-ten car break-ins during a crime spree, clocking up 72 offences by the time he was 14. Knowing the law had limited powers to lock him up he said he would "retire" at 15, when jail became more likely, but he did not.

The court heard yesterday that he had notched up another 67 convictions and had been detained in young offenders' institutions on several occasions, mainly for burglary or crimes of dishonesty.

He and his co-accused, Colin Rutherford, 24, of no fixed address and previously of Truro Avenue, Murton, admitted breaking into a house in Peterlee in May last year.

Richard Scott, prosecuting, said the owner of the house had seen the pair in his street as he and his family left their home.

When they returned 40 minutes later, a window had been smashed. Police found the pair nearby.

Rutherford then admitted burgling a house in Easington Colliery on November 4, stealing an ornamental knife and causing £1,600 of damage.

English admitted handling stolen goods, a quantity of compact discs, last November 15.

Mr Scott said English made "several appearances a year" in court and said Rutherford had 46 previous convictions.

Judge Michael Taylor jailed Rutherford for 30 months for burglary and 15 months for attempted burglary, to run consecutively.

Paul Cleasby, for English, said the crime of handling stolen goods had been a case of him picking up a bag he found outside a friend's house, knowing they were probably stolen.

English was sentenced to 12 months for handling stolen goods and 15 months for attempted burglary, to run consecutively.