A serial offender who broke into a restaurant and stole a car in Oldham has been jailed.

Bernard Ward appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday (October 29) having pleaded guilty to a number of offences including theft of a car, possession of an offensive weapon and two counts of burglary.

Simon Barratt, prosecuting, told the court that on August 19 last year, Ward and another person were in Sainsbury's in Oldham town centre when they stole three bottles of Jack Daniels.

They then went to a nearby tram stop but were detained and Ward was found to be carrying an offensive weapon, namely a glass ball wrapped in socks.

Ward, of Clive Road, Failsworth, was then taken to a police station and was asked to provide a sample, with officers suspecting he was under the influence of Class A drugs, however, he refused.

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Around four months later, on the evening of December 10 into December 11, the 51-year-old broke a window and gained entry into an Indian restaurant in Oldham, however, Ward was unable to gain entry into the main part of the restaurant.

Blood at the scene of the crime would go on to match Ward's, but not before he would commit his most serious crime on the morning of December 11.

At around 6am, a man parked his car and went into a gym in Oldham, leaving his valuables, including his wallet and car keys, in a bag in the changing rooms.

Ward, wearing a hi-vis jacket, entered into the building by tailgating someone, before going into the changing rooms and stealing the man's valuables before driving off in his car.

CCTV footage from nearby shops captured Ward trying the victim's cards to make purchases, while other items stolen from the victim's car included tools for his job, clothing and an iPad.

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The car was recovered in Oldham three days later and was written off, while the court heard the victim said the items were "irreplaceable".

Ward's final offence saw him enter a pub in Shaw through an unlocked door before he stole £700 from the cash till, leaving the landlord with anxiety.

The court heard Ward, who is a father, had a long criminal history for similar offending and that he was already serving a prison sentence for other offences he previously committed.

Salek Ahmed, defending, said Ward had long-standing issues with Class A drugs and that he had been working to better himself and stay off drugs while in prison.

Passing sentence, Judge Joanne Woodward sentenced Ward to 35 months in prison and ordered for the glass ball to be forfeited and destroyed.