A prolific young offender stole a friend’s mobile phone after a night out drinking.

Ryan Seward, of School Street, Great Harwood, went out with Dale Nuttall on March 7 this year and returned to his house in the early hours of the next morning.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Mr Nuttall had the phone when he went to sleep but when he woke up it was gone.

When Seward was later challenged about it he produced the phone ‘from down the front of his trousers’ and claimed he had found it in the hallway.

The 21-year-old, who has 34 convictions for 67 previous offences, pleaded guilty to theft and was jailed for two months.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, told the court that the two men had known each other for ten years and ‘called each other friends’.

The court heard how Mr Nuttall was unable to find the phone the next morning at his home on Heywood Street, Great Harwood, and when he tried to ring it the phone switched off.

Mr Parker said: “ Sometime later he became aware Seward was in his house and he confronted him about the phone and whether he was responsible for it.

“Produced the phone from down the front of his trousers and he said he had found it in the hallway“He was arrested and interviewed and made no comment.”

David Ryan, defending, said it was not a ‘preplanned or premeditated’ theft. He told the court: “Mr Seward found out that day that Mr Nuttall had been having a relationship with the mother of his daughter and went round to the complainants house.

“He went round to speak to him and not to cause trouble. The two of them spoke about their difficulties and had a drink together.

“They then went out together drinking and got separated and came back to home address. He then took the phone.”

Recorder Mark Ainsworth said it was an ‘opportunistic’ and ‘mean offence taking items from a friend’.

Sentencing, he said: “Mr Nuttall is someone you know well and he is a friend of yours, or certainly was before this offence.

"Fortunately the phone was recovered and there was no actual loss.

“You must realise at some point that you must put this offending behaviour to one side and get on with your life. You don’t want to spend the best part of your youth in prison.”