A Teignmouth builder who raided the home of a former girlfriend has been jailed for 27 months.

Exeter Crown Court heard 32 year old Richard Martin's fingerprints were found at the burgled house in Higher Brimley, Teignmouth but he said they got there when he had visited the house to take out Michael Ward's daughter.

In the raid some £3,200 worth of property was stolen and later when police raided Martin's home they found a Polaroid camera belonging to Mr Ward.

Martin claimed that Mr Ward had lent him the camera to take some pictures of his work.

Prosecutor Peter Ashman said among the property stolen were cheque books and credit cards. When police turned up to see Martin a second time he arrived on a £1,100 Kawasaki motorcycle which he had purchased through a newspaper advertisement using one of the cheques.

When quizzed about that Martin said that he had bought the motorbike from a man in the Half Moon pub at Paignton.

Mr Ashman said in addition to the burglary Martin also admitted obtaining property by deception and theft of a money box from the daughter of a friend.

There were also a string of other offences relating to cheques and credit cards that were used to purchase items and withdraw cash from victims‚ accounts. One of the other offences related to a £2,500 car that Martin had stolen and sold.

Mr Ashman told the court that Martin had committed 81 previous offences mainly of theft and fraud, including two thefts from employers.

Defending Rupert Taylor said Martin had always accepted what he had done and some of the offences were mean because they involved friends.

He had a long list of previous convictions and at the time of the latest offending he was facing a downward spiral of committing crimes, going to prison, being released and offending again.

However while he had been on remand he had become involved in the educational programme in the prison and was helping other inmates.

'He is sad rather than wicked and ashamed of what he has done,' said Mr Taylor.

Martin of Reed Vale, Teigmouth pleaded guilty to burglary, two offences of obtaining property by deception and one of theft. He asked for eight other offences to be considered and a breach of a two year community rehabilitation order imposed for obtaining and attempting to obtain property by deception.