A HAPLESS Ipswich burglar stole a car from one house before using it in a burglary of another just yards down the road, a court heard.Matthew Cracknell was released on bail at Ipswich Crown Court despite pleading guilty to eight offences including burglary and theft and asking for five more to be taken into consideration.

A HAPLESS Ipswich burglar stole a car from one house before using it in a burglary of another just yards down the road, a court heard.

Matthew Cracknell was released on bail at Ipswich Crown Court despite pleading guilty to eight offences including burglary and theft and asking for five more to be taken into consideration.

His Honour Nicholas Beddard, sitting as deputy circuit judge heard how Cracknell had become involved in burglaries to feed his crack cocaine addiction.

In one burglary the former grave digger had stolen a white Toyota car from the drive of a house in Henley Road, Ipswich.

Later in the day the 22-year-old said he was talked into being involved in the burglary of another house further up the road, where he knew the person who lived there.

The court heard how the house owner had left her home just after midday on July 28 but had arrived back around 5.15pm and spotted the white Toyota in her driveway that had been stolen earlier in the day.

When she confronted the person in the car they said that there was someone round the back of the house who was looking for her.

Then she spotted someone in the house and realised what was going on, so she got in her car and tried to block their car in, but the driver (who was not Cracknell) simply drove into her car and sped off along the road.

Cracknell was picked up by police later and was found to have glass in his hair which matched that of a pane smashed during the burglary.

He pleaded guilty to smashing the glass and acting as look-out but said that was the only part he played in the break-in.

In his defence, Saqib Rauf said that Cracknell wanted to apologise to all his victims.

He said that during his time in custody Cracknell had managed to get off drugs.

His girlfriend is also due to give birth to his child in the New Year and he had missed a lot of time with her.

Mr Rauf said: "The entirety of these offences were committed to fund his addiction.

"The history of his drug use was mainly amphetamines but around 18 months ago he began to use crack cocaine and became addicted to it.

"He has not been covering his tracks (at his crimes) very well and it is a sign of desperation and what he was going through."

Judge Beddard ordered Cracknell to be subject to a drug treatment and testing order, which means that he would be released to live at his mothers house in Spencer Road, Ipswich and would be subject to regular drug tests and reviews at the court.

He is to be assessed to see if he is suitable for the drug treatment order and his case is to come back before the court on the week beginning December 1.