A teenage burglar was caught after leaving his fingerprints behind.

Robert Cochrane, 18, was arrested after breaking into a house in Bexhill through a kitchen window.

At Lewes Crown Court Cochrane admitted committing the burglary at the four-bedroom detached house in Ellerslie Lane in March.

The court heard the owners were out during the day when their home was targeted. The house had been searched and a new flat screen TV and a computer, worth £520, were stolen. Jewellery and a cheque book were also taken.

Rachel Beckett, prosecuting, told the court scenes of crime officers found three fingerprints identified as belonging to Cochrane, who has previous convictions for burglary.

When officers went to arrest him at his house in Alderton Court, West Marina, Bexhill, he was in bed.

She said: "He was verbally abusive to police and to his mother for letting the police in."

At first he denied committing the burglary but later admitted the offence.

He claimed he was only the look-out and the break-in was committed by four of his friends, who he refused to name.

Cochrane also admitted being in breach of a community order imposed for a previous burglary at Bexhill High School, where he broke into the music room at lunchtime.

He has also previously committed a burglary at the Lidl supermarket in the town.

Alissa Scott-Beckett, defending, said following Cochrane's arrest for the latest burglary there had been a rift with his parents and he was asked to leave the family home because they were so disappointed in his behaviour.

She said Cochrane, who works in a pub kitchen, had changed his life and now appreciated the effect of his offending on his victims. She said: "As a result of the remorse he feels he has made a concerted effort to change his lifestyle."

Cochrane was sentenced to a total of 12 months in a young offenders institution.

Judge Hubert Dunne QC told him: "You have a very bad record for someone who has just turned 18. You have to learn that burglary and other criminal offences will lead you into the most serious trouble.

"If you don't mend your ways you will be spending your life in prison."