A burglar has been given six months to prove he’s changed his ways.

Shaun Thornhill, 49, stole an electric bicycle from a Wallingford shed and broke into a house in Reading Road in the town on November 5 last year.

He was found guilty at the magistrates’ court earlier this month and sent to Oxford Crown Court for sentence. The burglar was cleared of taking a Nissan Leaf electric car without consent.

While on bail waiting for his trial, Thornhill was given a six month suspended sentence by Judge Michael Gledhill QC for 10 charges of burglary. A five year criminal behaviour order bans him from having a crowbar between 8pm and 6am and stops him from trespassing in gardens.

Mitigating for the Didcot man on Thursday afternoon, defence advocate Gareth James said his client had been working to address a long-standing drug problem.

Given a previous pre-sentence report estimated Thornhill had a 93 per cent likelihood of re-offending, it was ‘quite significant’ that he’d stayed out of trouble since being sentenced by Judge Gledhill in May, Mr James said.

Hearing the case on Thursday, Judge Maria Lamb deferred sentencing Thornhill for six months – ordering he stay out of trouble, complete a drug rehabilitation programme and save up cash to compensate the owner of the stolen electric bike.

“I’m told you have been doing your best and you have been taking positive steps and you haven’t committed any further offences. I’m thinking of putting you to the test,” she said.

Thornhill, of Portway, Didcot, will return to Oxford Crown Court on April 18 next year.

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