DNA found on a sock led to a prolific burglar being caught. But thanks to his progress in tackling drug addiction he has been spared immediate custody.
Bristol Crown Court heard a man who walked his dog in November last year returned to find an intruder had entered his Westbury Road home. DNA on a sock found at the scene matched that of Brian Mearns and he was arrested.
Mearns, 39, of Brentry Farm, Charlton Road, Bristol, pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling. Judge Moira Macmillan handed him two years' prison suspended for two years.