A HANDYMAN who sneaked back at night to burgle his elderly employer's home has been jailed for 18 months.

Drunken Martin Takac broke into the 72-year-old man's home in Lytton Road, Four Lane Ends, Bradford, after doing gardening work at the property the same day.

Takac, a Slovakian national with convictions for theft in his home country, wanted money to buy more alcohol when he used a spanner to get through an insecure door at the property, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Takac, 38, of Malham Avenue, Chellow Grange, Bradford, pleaded guilty to burgling the house, between July 1 and 2.

He was caught by a vigilant taxi driver when he tried to make off from the area with a laptop, champagne and wine stolen from the house.

Muhammed Ali Abrassi refused to drive Takac off with the laptop until he had demonstrated it was his by putting in the pin number.

When Takac failed to work the computer, Mr Abrassi called the police and he was arrested at the scene.

Takac's solicitor advocate, Tom Rushbrooke, said he was drunk that night and ashamed of himself.

Judge Jonathan Rose praised Mr Abrassi's presence of mind in trapping him.