A drunkard broke into his ex’s home and pocketed £200 from her handbag.

Bobby Thomas, 30, also stole the woman’s passport after he let himself in to the former marital home. The woman managed to grab the ID document back and the police later found him near the house.

On Wednesday, Oxford Crown Court heard the Sutton Courtenay man was on court bail and drunk when he committed the theft on October 3. He had earlier pleaded guilty to harassing his ex-partner.

Judge Ian Pringle QC said he would be taking a ‘rather unusual course’ and impose a conditional discharge, meaning that unless he got in further trouble Thomas would not be punished for the offence.

He told Thomas, who appeared via video link from the remand wing at HMP Bristol: “I do that because I want you to understand that we you hopefully get the order that is imposed with the alcohol treatment requirement and all the things you have to do under that order form the magistrates, you understand that it is your last chance and you’ve got to get your act together. Do you understand?”

Wiping his eyes on his jumper sleeves, Thomas said: “I know this already.”

Mitigating, Kellie Enever had told Judge Pringle that her client had a warehouse job ready for him upon his release.

Having struggled with binge drinking in the past, he was committed to staying alcohol-free and bringing up the four children he shared with his ex-partner.

Thomas, of Willow Pike, Sutton Courtenay, pleaded guilty to an alternative count of theft. A formal not guilty verdict was entered by the judge to an allegation of burglary.

He will be sentenced at Oxford Magistrates’ Court early next year for harassing his former partner.

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