A housebreaker who was snared after leaving traces of blood near a broken window was jailed yesterday for 18 months.
John McLaughlin broke into two properties in Glasgow’s Finnieston area in February and March last year.
The 43-year-old entered the first property on a Saturday night through a bedroom window.
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard the owners found their home “ransacked” and items on the floor.
Prosecutor Mark Allan said: “It was identified the bedroom window was the point of entry that had been smashed.
“In doing so McLaughlin cut himself and left blood at the point of entry on the window.”
Police were unable to trace McLaughlin until he was arrested in March following the second break in.
The hearing was told one of the tenants heard a bedroom window smash and went to investigate.
Mr Allan said: “He saw McLaughlin was reaching through the window to the bedroom he had smashed as a point of entry.”
McLaughlin fled the scene but was later arrested after the tenant identified him.
He was released on bail but didn’t show up at his court appearance three days later.
McLaughlin pled guilty yesterday to two housebreakings and a failure to appear at court charge.
Lawyer, Patricia Bailey, defending, told the court that McLaughlin didn’t appear at court as he had “cold feet.”
She added that the housebreaking were down to his “overwhelming addiction” to drugs.
Sheriff Ian Fleming said: “This was a course of criminal conduct with similar offences committed within a month of each other.”
