A man could not hear a burglar knock on his door before breaking in because he had his earphones on, a court heard.

Southampton Crown Court heard how the tenant of a shared house in Lodge Road, Southampton, was shocked to find that the burglar was in fact his fellow housemate, Michael Edwards.

Edwards, 23, from Waterloo Road, Southampton, fled without taking anything, but was convicted of burglary at Winchester Crown Court.

The court heard how Edwards had a string of convictions, including dishonesty and robbery.

In mitigation, the court was told that Edwards, who is on benefits and smokes £200 worth of cannabis each month, decided to steal from his housemate because he was worried about paying bills for his partner’s child.

Judge Jane Miller suspended a 12-month prison term for 12 months to allow him to carry out a six-month drug rehabilitation order.