AN ex-criminal handled mobile phones stolen in a raid on her disabled next door neighbour's home, a court heard.

Burnley Crown Court was told how drug addict Andrea Taylor, 32, claimed she had got the phones back from contacts in "the underworld," and was going to return them, but kept one.

The victims had gone to a funeral and had come back to find their Burnley home had been burgled.

Taylor, the mother of a 12-year-old child was now said to be "in the money," from half the proceeds of a house sale and didn't need to commit crime anymore.

She received a four month prison sentence.

She has spent 69 days on remand so was due to be released.

She had been going on the straight and narrow before the offence.

The defendant, of Elgin Crescent, Burnley, admitted handling stolen goods between August 28 and 30 and failing to surrender.

She had originally been charged with burglary.

Sentencing Taylor, Judge Beverley Lunt told the defendant she had to realise she would be on licence for two months.

The judge said she was sure during that time Taylor would get help to get the heroin substitute subutex which would hopefully keep her out of trouble in the future.