A burglar who stole an electric bike from a Wallingford a shed was given a community order after saving for compensation, attending rehab sessions and staying out of trouble.

Judge Maria Lamb deferred Shaun Thornhill’s sentence last October to give the thief a chance to prove he had changed his ways.

On Tuesday, she congratulated the 50-year-old on keeping his side of the bargain.

READ MORE: 'Prolific' offender's five month spree

“You’ve done everything that I asked of you, so I’m not going to go back on my side of things,” she told him.

“I asked you to save up some money for compensation. You’ve done that, I’m very glad to hear.

“You’ve complied with the drug rehabilitation requirement. It’s not always been easy, but you’ve done it – well done.

“And, most importantly, you’ve stayed out of trouble.”

Imposing an 18 month community order and ordering he pay £200 compensation to the e-bike’s owner, she added: “You look like you’re going in the right direction at the moment. Keep going in the right direction.

Last year, Oxford Crown Court heard that Thornhill, of Portway, Didcot, stole an electric bicycle from a Wallingford shed and broke into a house in Reading Road in the town on November 5, 2020.

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.

READ MORE: I never intended to kill Lee Butler, Barton murder accused tells jury

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.

That suspended sentence is still in operation. Judge Lamb warned him on Tuesday: “You make sure you keep out of trouble, because that suspended sentence still runs.”

Mitigating, Gareth James said a previous probation service report had estimated his client had a 93 per cent chance of reoffending. That Thornhill had kept his nose clean since the report was written last year was ‘quite remarkable’, he added.

The defendant was ‘clearly committed’ to attending sessions with drug addiction charity Turning Point and continued to use the service despite his court-imposed rehabilitation requirement ending.

Although he continued to use cannabis, he was ‘working’ on the habit.

Mr James said his client suffered from a number of health issues including COPD and emphysema, meaning he was signed off work. Despite that, he had managed to save up £200 towards compensation.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on news@nqo.com or 01865 425 445.