A TEENAGER who committed three burglaries in Oxford in a week and tried to steal a bicycle in the city centre has been sent to a young offenders’ institution for 15 months.

Dayne Smith, 18, of Reedmace Close, Greater Leys, Oxford, admitted at Oxford Crown Court stealing lap-tops and a mobile phone from student accommodation.

Smith was then seen by CCTV operators trying to steal a bike in Gloucester Green using bolt croppers. He was arrested before he could take the cycle.

James Reilly, defending, said Smith had recently been discharged from mental hospital after suffering from depression, had split with his partner, whose father was also his boss at the roofing firm he worked for, had been thrown out from his mother’s house and was homeless and on the streets with no money.