A burglar who stole £450 cash from the house of a retired grandmother has been locked up for 30 months.

Carlisle Crown Court heard the victim, aged in her 60s, had set aside the money to buy Christmas gifts for her family - including her granddaughters.

But this was snatched by 37-year-old Stephen Wildgoose, who she knew, when he called unannounced at her Workington home on September 19 and distracted her.

The woman was said to have been deeply affected by the crime, which was one of five that Wildgoose admitted in court today.

A victim impact statement revealed she was left suffering from sleeplessness.

In addition to the burglary, Wildgoose pleaded guilty to the theft of hundreds of pounds worth of products from three shops on two separate dates, and also making off from a taxi without payment.

Recorder Kevin Grice heard Wildgoose, of Shore Road, Salterbeck, Workington, had 135 offences on his record, and sent him to prison immediately.

The judge said of the burglary: "It has all the hallmarks of a man with no moral compass at all."