A burglar who broke into a house by unhooking the latch on a window blind was sent down for 12 months.

Devin Kenneth Smith, 22, of Sea Express Lane, Southampton, admitted entering the home in Serpentine Road, Pembroke, as a trespasser on March 7 and stealing a key.

Prosecutor Nicole Smith told Magistrates' Court that Smith fashioned an iron rod into a hooking device in order to undo the latch on a set of blinds and then entered the property via a window. She said he took the key before leaving via the front door.

The homeowner later returned to find the blind undone and the iron rod on a work surface.

He contacted Police who identified and arrested Smith, who has previous convictions for similar offences, after taking fingerprints at the scene.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner dismissed Smith's claim that he could not find work. "You have had all the opportunities," he said.