A MAN has been jailed for 46 weeks for stealing from his uncle and from a man with a lower than normal mental age.
Michael Barrett's victims had taken him in as a lodger, Barnsley Magistrates' Court was told.
Chantel Lowery-Green, prosecuting, said Barrett, 34, took three Samsung phones and a tablet worth about £700 from the uncle. She said Barrett had been living with him for two or three weeks.
She said: "Later, Mr Barrett went to live with a vulnerable man with a lower than normal mental age. The victim woke up and found that a Playstation games console and some games worth £120 had been stolen.
"Mr Barrett said after his arrest that he sold the items to get money to spend on drinks and drugs."
Barrett, who was not represented by a solicitor, said he had succumbed to temptation and had been sleeping on the streets for more than a month.
He said he had been a drug addict for years and did not want to undergo drug rehabilitation. "I can deal with the problem in my own way," he told the court.
Barrett, of no fixed address, added that he did not want to do unpaid work nor be given Probation Service supervision.
District Judge John Foster said: "Both victims had allowed you into their homes. You took property of significant value.
"These offences show you are not dealing with your drug problems. Jail is the only appropriate sentence. The offence against the vulnerable man was disgraceful."
Barrett admitted two thefts.
