A THIEF who broke into a complete stranger’s house in Balloch and made off with a jacket hours after his mum’s funeral has been spared a prison sentence.

Dean Cartwright stole the jacket from the property in Dalvait Road in the early hours of November 3 – but he was picked up by police just yards away from the property after the householder was woken by the noise.

The 26-year-old appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court for sentencing on Friday after pleading guilty to a charge of theft by housebreaking.

Craig Wainwright, prosecuting, told the court the householder had hung the jacket over a chair on getting home the previous afternoon and had been wakened up at 3am by a noise from the dining room.

Mr Wainwright said: “He called out, and a male voice shouted back at him.

“He got up, entered the dining room and saw the jacket was missing, and saw the front door was lying wide open.

“He went out into the street and observed the accused wearing the jacket and making off towards the main road.”

Police were called and almost straight away officers arrived on the scene and arrested Cartwright.

Joanne Mortimer, defending, said Cartwright – who has previous convictions for serious assault and breaching bail – did not know the householder.

At the time of the theft Cartwright was the subject of a community payback order (CPO) imposed after he stole a car, car keys and house keys from a property in Clydebank on July 30.

Ms Mortimer said: “He acknowledges the seriousness of his position. He was arrested by police immediately after his mother’s funeral and spent the whole weekend at Clydebank police office before appearing in this court on the Monday, when he was remanded in custody.

“When I saw him in Greenock prison he indicated he was keen to have the matter resolved quickly without any inconvenience to anybody, particularly the gentleman whose house he broke into.”

Ms Mortimer said Cartwright’s mother had died, suddenly and unexpectedly, on October 17, and the offence occurred after drink had been taken following his mother’s funeral.

Sheriff Maxwell Hendry, who told Cartwright he had an “atrocious” record, said: “You escape going to prison by the skin of your teeth.

“You were given an opportunity in August when you were placed on a community payback order.

“Each and every time you commit an offence prison is likely to be the starting point.

“You have done pretty well [on that order] but the fact excessive alcohol was taken and crime then committed against a complete stranger indicates there’s still some way to go.”

Cartwright, of Kennishead Avenue in Glasgow, was told to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work – in addition to those he has yet to complete on his previous CPO – and was hit with a curfew which will confine him to his home between 7pm and 7am every day until early April.

The sheriff added: “If you breach these orders, prison, at that point, becomes utterly inevitable.”