A 19-year-old from Barton, Oxford, has been handed a three-year detention sentence after he was convicted of a burglary in Kidlington.

Ethan Woodley, of Sherwood Place, was imprisoned yesterday after carrying out the crime on May 12 last year.

The teenager stood trial in Oxford Crown Court earlier this year and was found guilty of breaking into a property in Brandon Close, Kidlington, in the middle of the night.

Judge Gordon Risius said he had stolen two purses and their contents, along with some loose change. He added that Woodley had already been convicted of 12 offences, including five non-dwelling burglaries.

Claire Fraser, defending, said he has started to turn his life around, including getting a job as a cinema cleaner.

She said: “He has been completely out of trouble for almost a year.

“This is partly down to the fact that he has been in a stable relationship.

“He has made new friends who have a positive impact on him.”

Judge Risius sentenced him to three years detention with a £120 victims’ surcharge.