A TEENAGE burglar was caught out by blood left behind at the scene of his crime – after he was attacked by a territorial family cat.

Burnley Crown Court heard after cocaine addict Connor Gorton raided the house with an accomplice his victims received a phone call taunting them hours later.

And in the morning, victim Beth Carr noticed their cat was limping and there was blood on the walls, leading her to believe it had attacked the 18-year-old.

When police arrested Gorton they found scratch marks on his face.

The court heard Ms Carr and her fiancee were asleep in their home at Healey Wood Road, Burnley, in the early hours of April 19.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker said at 3.30am Ms Carr received a call from her partner’s stolen mobile phone.

Mr Parker said: “She heard a male voice saying how her house stank. He then asked her what was with all the Amazon parcels in the house.”

Mr Parker said the couple went downstairs and found the front door was unlocked and they had been burgled.

Ms Carr then received texts suggesting the burglars were across the road watching what was going on. She then received a text saying the burglar would sell them the items back for £500. At that point the victim said she was physically sick.

Among the items taken, valued at more than £1,200, were two mobile phones, an Xbox One console and a PlayStation.

Mr Parker said: “It was forensic evidence that linked the defendant to the scene in two ways. Both fingerprints from a plug socket and some blood on the wall.

“Ms Carr noticed that morning when she came downstairs that her cat was limping. The cat is called Toothless and she wondered whether the cat might have clawed the burglar. She said it could be quite aggressive with people it didn’t know.”

The court also heard that overnight between April 21 and 22 a BMW X5 M sport was stolen from a house in Snell Grove, Colne.

Although Gorton denied any involvement in the burglary, the son of the BMW owner, received information the defendant had been seen driving it on the morning of April 22.

The son went to one of Gorton’s Facebook profiles and they could see a video in which the defendant was driving the BMW.

Mr Parker said: “Exchanges were made on Facebook between them. The defendant said he had been involved in driving it but he had bought it legitimately for £700.”

The court heard Gorton, of Belgrave Road, Colne, was arrested in relation to the burglary and BMW offences and released on bail.

While on bail on July 27 that he committed his last offence – a burglary and aggravated vehicle taking at a property in Lidgett, Colne.

Mr Parker said a man was in his house with one of his two stepchildren when he was woken by his dog barking. When he went downstairs he found the keys to his £60,000 Range Rover had been taken and the car was no longer on the drive.

After calling the police, the victim posted on social media that his car had been stolen and at 11am the following day he was sent a link to Gorton’s Instagram account.

On there was a video of the car being driven off his driveway.

Mr Parker said police obtained those videos one of which was headed ‘taken by the best’. Gorton could also be heard in the videos saying: “Look at the new beast.”

When the car was recovered £8,000 of damage had been done to it, including damage to the interior where it looked like attempts had been made to find the tracker.

The court heard the victim’s wife and the mother of his stepchildren had died in May and they were still trying to come to terms with that at the time of the burglary. He described the burglary as “horrendous” and had “left them all feeling numb”.

Gorton, who has seven convictions for 16 offences, pleaded guilty to two burglaries, aggravated vehicle taking, two thefts and driving without a licence and insurance.

Defending, Isobel Thomas said her client had a number of difficulties in his childhood and had been using hard drugs since he was 14.

She said: “He had developed a very heavy cocaine habit. It was costing him about £180 per day. His explanation for becoming involved in these offences was in order to obtain goods to fund that habit.”

Sentencing Gorton to 36 months in a young offenders institution, Recorder David Temkin said: “You are still only 18 and that is a very important factor in this case.”

Gorton was banned from driving for 30 months.