A burglar who raided a Weymouth pub months after the death of the landlords' son told a court he 'wishes he could take the crime back'.

Steven Neal said he's "extremely embarrassed" about breaking into The Gloucester in The Esplanade on July 6 – but added that he doesn't remember much about the burglary.

Neal, 39, appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced this August after admitting two counts of burglary and one of breaching a conditional discharge for shoplifting.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, said the defendant put socks on his hands before breaking a window of the pub just after midnight.

"He forces a till, but it was empty," Mr Welling said.

"He kicks through a door and enters a private flat.

"He was there for 15 minutes going through electrical items. However, he seems to have changed his mind because he left empty-handed.

"Neal returned to the bar and located a staff tip jar with around £300 to £500 inside. He then left."

The court heard that the owners of the pub lost their son in February.

Neal was quickly identified through CCTV footage from the pub. When he was arrested, he initially gave a 'no comment' interview to police before changing his mind.

Transcripts from the interview were read aloud to the court by Robert Grey, mitigating.

A police officer told Neal: "I can see you're getting a bit upset – what's troubling you?"

The defendant, of Lennox Street in Weymouth, replied: "Just everything. So many things. That's not me any more."

He then said: "I don't do things like that any more, not for a long time."

Mr Grey said Neal has been clean of class A drugs since 2007. However, he'd been drinking heavily with friends on the night of the burglary.

"He got drunk and committed a burglary, but he didn't intend to burgle a dwelling," the barrister said.

Neal, who has 26 previous convictions for 40 offences – including previous burglaries – told the judge: "It's eaten away at me since. I'm extremely embarrassed and I just wish I could change things and take it back."

Judge Ben Compton said he was "impressed by the changes" Neal has made.

"You ignored solicitors' advice and made a clean breast of what had happened," he said.

"I am satisfied you are fully contrite."

Neal was sentenced to two years in prison.