A 17-year-old Ipswich youth has been jailed for a string of offences committed in the town.The teenager admitted taking a Ford Escort without its owners consent, throwing a brick through a front door window, stealing 40 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper and repeatedly breaching bail conditions.

A 17-year-old Ipswich youth has been jailed for a string of offences committed in the town.

The teenager admitted taking a Ford Escort without its owners consent, throwing a brick through a front door window, stealing 40 rolls of Christmas wrapping paper and repeatedly breaching bail conditions.

He also admitted failing to comply with a community punishment order for 100 hours unpaid work he was told to do for committing a burglary.

South East Suffolk Youth Court sentenced the young man, who cannot be named because of his age, to four months detention and training.

The court heard that the car was allegedly broken into and started up by two co-defendants who have not yet been dealt with.

The youth got into the car at a later point on March 14 knowing that it had been stolen.

Earlier in March the teenager had approached a house in Shackleton Road and caused £200 criminal damage by throwing a house brick at the door.

He committed both offences while he was on bail for stealing 40 rolls of wrapping paper valued at £40. He said he had found them in Queensway.

The court heard that the youth had previously burgled a pensioner's home of whisky and other items and had been ordered to carry out unpaid work as punishment.

He then failed to turn up for work on two occasions.

The youth was told by magistrates: "You have a continuing disregard for court orders. You will serve half this detention and training order in custody and half in the community".