A BURGLAR who sold two saxophones within half-an-hour of stealing them from Bootham School in York has been jailed for three years.

The crime was just the start of Michael Philip Holroyd's series of offences, York Crown Court heard.

Although he was arrested the same day as the saxophones were stolen, he got bail and went out house burgling. When police caught up with him again eight days later, he was pushing a bed away from the scene of his latest crime and had a jemmy and other housebreaking tools on him.

"You went out quite clearly equipped for burglary," Judge Jim Spencer told him and jailed him for three years.

Holroyd, 23, no fixed address, pleaded guilty to handling stolen saxophones, attempted burglary, burglary, going equipped for theft, and carrying a knife in public.

Nigel Wray, prosecuting, said that two saxophones together worth £1,000 were stolen between 10am and 10.10am on April 1, at Bootham School.

At 10.26 am, Holroyd sold them to a secondhand shop, but was caught on camera.

He had a lock knife on him when arrested the same day.

On April 8, he raided a house in Thorpe Street, South Bank, and got away with a video recorder, DVD player, alcohol and other items, despite the owner spotting him making his escape over a wall.

On April 9, a householder in Heslington Lane saw him in his neighbour's house and alerted police. The burglar took a bed from a yard between the two houses and was pushing it away when police arrived.

Updated: 10:51 Saturday, July 12, 2003