A burglar was caught trying to raid a flat after a neighbour saw his legs dangling from the ceiling and recognised his voice.

Drug addict Dale Evans was visiting his girlfriend's flat at the multiple-occupancy building in Silverhill Road, Henbury, when he went into the attic, crawled through the roof space, and dropped down to steal a portable TV from the neighbouring accommodation of Andrew Shortman.

Another neighbour, Deborah Townsend, raised the alarm after she heard banging, saw a pair of legs dangling from the hallway ceiling and heard a voice saying "All I can find is a TV". She recognised Evans' voice.

Police arrested him at the scene.

Father-to-be Evans, aged 29, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary.

Imposing an 18-month supervision order with treatment, Judge David Ticehurst told Evans: "If you commit further offences, you'll be brought back before me and I'll send you to prison for a long time.

"The mother of your child will have to tell your baby, 'Your father's a junkie and he's locked up in prison.'"

Timothy Hills, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court that Evans had been released from a previous 12-month jail term for burglary and was on licence and living at the Ashley House Bail Hostel in Kingsdown.

Mr Hills said that Evans' girlfriend Joanne Tiley lived in a flat at Silverhill Road and it was from there that he gained access into the roof space in order to plunder items from the neighbouring flat.

Mr Hills said that when police arrived they found a TV was missing, and two work shirts, three halogen lamps and plumbing manuals had been moved. Evans made no comment when interviewed.

Tabitha Macfarlane, defending, described her client's previous offences as "voluminous".

She told the court: "He hasn't been given assistance for his drug addiction for 10 years. He has been getting used to prison, which he can cope with.

"He's about to become a father and his girlfriend has now stopped taking heroin."

Miss Macfarlane said it was her client's wish to live elsewhere from his girlfriend until he was able to be clean of drugs and in a job before his child was born in February.

The judge told Evans, though he deserved custody, he would give him a chance to get his life in order.