A PROLIFIC criminal was caught out after taking a snap of himself with a stolen camera.

Police had been searching for serial burglar Christ-opher Ormerod Sears, 44, when they tracked him down to a friend's home in Curlew Gardens, Burnley, Preston Crown Court was told.

He was wanted on an outstanding warrant but when officers detained him they found a haul of stolen property at the address, the court heard, including a laptop computer, two mobile phones and a digital camera.

Sears, originally from Chapel Street, Colne, was interviewed by police about the discovery at Burnley police station.

Initially he refused to comment but then, with the help of his solicitor, drafted a statement denying any knowledge of the stolen goods.

But prosecutor Roger Green said that in the meantime detectives had taken the stolen digital camera to a photographic shop in Burnley.

Once a memory card, containing the camera's photos, had been downloaded on to a compact disc, images of Sears and a pal could clearly be seen.

The court heard that the camera and computer had been taken during a burglary at a home in Cosgrove Avenue, Burnley, in October last year.

Sears had originally been set to stand trial, accused of burglary and handling stolen goods, in relation to another raid.

But the Crown Prosecution Service accepted guilty pleas to two offences of handling stolen goods and a not guilty verdict was entered on the burglary.

Last December Sears was jailed for nine years after carrying out a terrifying burglary at the home of a 90-year-old woman in East Lancashire.

He used a sledgehammer to break into the pensioner's home, confronting her in her front room and stealing an antique brooch.

An appeal against the sentence was lodged by Sears' legal team but this was rejected by the High Court last month.

Wayne Goldstein, defending, said another man had been given a 12-month prison sentence for carrying out the burglaries in which the stolen property, inclu-ding the camera and phones, had originally been taken.

Passing sentence, Judge Norman Wright said: "It is often said that without handlers (of stolen goods) then burglars and thieves would be greatly deterred."

But the judge said that because Sears was already serving a significant sent-ence he would not extend the defendant's time in jail - he imposed a concurrent 12-month prison term.

Sears has also previously served an eight-year prison sentence for burglary..