Thirsty Leeds burglar tried to wedge sock between his booze-detecting leg tag to have a drink

Josh Woods was given the alcohol-abstinence requirement in August as part of punishment for breaking into an old pub while drunk. But he was brought back before court this week and admitted two breaches in the weeks just after he was sentenced.

Leeds Crown Court heard that he tried to use the sock to stop the electronic device detecting alcohol through his skin. Then a week later, he told the court he was at wedding and a friend had “switched his drink” and he was given Kopparberg cider without realising.

Judge Ray Singh dismissed his claim and said: “You are talking complete nonsense, if you look at the level of the reading. First you try to put a sock between your leg - this is sophisticated equipment, it knows exactly what you did. Then the reading (at the wedding) was significantly high, one gulp of Kopparberg is not going to do that.”

Woods, who represented himself in court, told Judge Singh that he knew he had breached the order, so continued to drink.

Woods, of Moor Park Villas, Headingley, had originally been given a 12-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, 160 hours of unpaid work and the three-month abstinence requirement.

He had broken into the former Dyneley Arms in Bramhope during the 10-mile walk home to Headingley after attending a party in Otley on May 6.

He used a spade to smash a downstairs window to the former pub, then climbed inside and ransacked the flat upstairs.

The resident was not home at the time with Woods stealing a £1,850 mountain bike, wireless headphones and an iPad among other items. The goods were then spotted for sale on Gumtree and eBay days later and traced back to Woods.

As a result of his breaches, Judge Singh said he would defer sentence until February 7 and told him: “You keep every appointment and every hour of unpaid work, and if you do, I promise I will not lock you up.”