A burglar took a purse, laptop, and cash from a home in Woolpit before using a stolen bank card to buy lottery scratch cards, a court heard.

Alex Sims, 34, admitted one count of burglary and two charges of fraud by false representation at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The court heard how Sims entered a house in Bury Road, Woolpit, sometime between July 9 and July 10 last year.

Once inside, Sims stole a purse, laptop and money pot, which contained cash, before leaving the property.

Just after 6am on July 10, Sims visited the Murco garage in Woolpit and bought £45 worth of scratch cards using a bank card stolen in the burglary.

David Bryant, prosecuting, said Sims committed a further act of fraud when he repeated the offence at a different shop, again buying £45 worth of lottery scratch cards.

Mr Bryant told the court that Sims' fingerprints were found on the door handle of the home in Woolpit.

A shop assistant was also able to identify Sims following one of the frauds, Mr Bryant said.

The court heard that the value of items and cash taken was unknown.

Sims, of Steeles Road, Woolpit, appeared in the dock at Suffolk Magistrates' Court on Friday to enter his guilty pleas.

Natasha Nair, mitigating, said the burglary was a "spur-of-the-moment" incident, and there was no ransacking.

Ms Nair said Sims had no similar offences on his record and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Deputy District Judge David Hawgood committed the case to the crown court for sentence and granted Sims conditional bail.

Sims will appear for sentence at Ipswich Crown Court on a date to be fixed.