A BUNGLING thief who stole ornamental owls worth £11,000 and sold them for £50 to make quick cash to fund booze and cocaine binges has avoided jail.

David Jones, 37, stole the Victorian trinkets from a house in Colchester which is then-partner was looking after while the owner was on holiday.

He also took £7,815 worth of jewellery belonging to the victim’s late mother which has never been recovered.

The owner only realised the owls were missing when she saw identical items whilst leafing through a Reeman Dansie auctioneers catalogue.

When she checked for the items, she found the jewellery had also gone missing.

A police investigation revealed Jones had sold the ornaments to a pawnbrokers for £50, who had then sold them on to the auctioneers.

Fortunately they were able to recover the silver owls, but the jewellery has never been found.

Jones, of Lucas Road, Colchester, has now moved in with his parents in Billericay, has previous convictions for taking a motor vehicle without consent and possession of cocaine in 2004.

He had admitted theft and fraud by false representation at a hearing earlier this year.

Judge Karen Walden-Smith handed him a 16 month prison sentence suspended for two years at Chelmsford Crown Court. He must also undertake 180 hours of unpaid work with 20 rehabilitation activity days.

Jones, who wept throughout the hearing, must pay back the victim for the missing jewellery and £50 the to the pawn brokers.

Judge Walden-Smith said: “This is a sad and sorry tale.

“Quite plainly in 2004 you were going through a bad patch and clearly recently you went through another.

“The offence was opportunistic on your part.

“Your girlfriend was trusted to house sit and you abused the person whose home it was and the trust of your partner.

“It is no surprise to learn she had ended the relationship.

“This was a really low level and nasty crime.

“Taking items from someone’s home is going to cause an enormous loss of trust which is something she will live with for the rest of her life all because of your sudden urge and need to get money.

“It is marked that you sold the pawnbrokers something valued at £11,000 for £50.

“She will never be able to replace the jewellery and you should be forever sorry for what you have done.

“I appreciate you are genuinely remorseful.

“You have fallen into a dark spiral – make sure you do not do anything like this ever again.”

Mitigating, Shade Abioudun said at the time of the thefts between October and November 2016 and January and February this year, Jones had been taking drugs and alcohol.

She said: “He has no intention of ever troubling the courts again – he is gutted at his actions.

“He is no longer relying on alcohol or taking drugs.”