An 'impulsive' bungling burglar was caught climbing through the window of a shared student house after stealing a credit card to fund his drug addiction.

Jimmy Green, 33, pushed himself through a “small open window” of a ground floor bedroom of the shared house in Silverdale Road in the early hours of the morning.

The room belonged to a young female university student, Southampton Crown Court was told.

The woman was not in the room when the intruder appeared, at around 1.30am on June 23, but returned while he was still at the scene.

Prosecutor Keely Harvey said that when she opened the door to her bedroom, she could see slight movement and heard a noise coming from inside.

The victim then fled to tell her friend, who called on the help of some male housemates.

But in this time the defendant had managed to escape, Ms Harvey said.

She said: “The victim did not notice that her bank card had been stolen until she received a notification on her phone to say a £15 purchase at Sainsbury’s in Bedford Place had been declined.

“He then went on to spend £2 at Lissco convenience store.

“The victim then froze her card and it was not used again.

“When police arrived at the scene, they took fingerprints from around the window, and they matched Mr Green’s.”

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The court heard how Green was arrested in July and a search of his room led to the discovery of an Argos card, stolen from a different woman.

Green, of Wilton Avenue, Southampton, pleaded guilty to burglary dwelling and theft, fraud by false representation, and theft.

Mitigating, Mark O’Connor said Green wanted to make a financial gain to fund his drug addiction.

He said the offences were “opportunistic and impulsive” and “rooted in addiction”, adding: “Mr Green has a long history of crack cocaine and heroin addiction.”

Passing sentence, Judge Christopher Parker KC told Green he is the only person responsible for his actions.

He said: “You chose to break into a ground floor bedroom in a shared house, belonging to a female student.

“This was impulsive and unplanned, but you have a responsibility to yourself and others.

“This was committed in the nighttime, and you had no idea who was present.”

Green was handed a sentence of two years and five months for the burglary offence.