A PERSISTENT burglar has been jailed after stealing booze and glasses from a venue in Winsford before raiding a charity shop.

David McElligott, of Granville Square, appeared at Chester Crown Court on June 8, for sentencing.

The court heard the 46-year-old entered The Hive - a community-owned venue providing entertainment and learning space - as a trespasser on December 28 last year.

While inside the Market Place venue, McElligott stole alcohol drinks and branded drinking glasses. The value of the items stolen was unknown.

Following this incident, McElligott stole £50 from a charity box from the Mid Cheshire Mind charity shop between March 17 and March 18, earlier this year.

He pleaded guilty to this offence at an earlier court appearance on April 26 and changed his plea for the former offence to guilty on May 11.

Judge Simon Berkson jailed McElligott for a total of 28 months, 18 for The Hive offence and a consecutive 10 months for the Mind charity box theft.

McElligott was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £228.

These offences occurred less than three years after another spree of burglaries involving McElligott, including at a Salvation Army church.