A MAN who burgled a York dental surgery and took a laptop computer full of patients' records caused "absolute chaos", a court heard.

Stacy Malton, 23, used a car wheel brace to smash his way into the Bishopthorpe Road premises, but was caught several months later after his fingerprints were matched up, said prosecutor David Bradshaw at York Crown court.

Malton, of Thoresby Road, Acomb, York, was appearing for sentence for the burglary and also for affray and possessing a knife in a Harrogate bowling alley, where he was said to have argued with a group of army apprentices.

Judge Jonathan Crabtree said the consequences of burgling the dental surgery and stealing a computer might not have been realised by Malton, and added: "That theft is worth every minute of a nine-month sentence."

But the judge suspended it for 12 months after hearing Stacy recently faced a robbery trial in which he was "quite rightly" acquitted.

Judge Crabtree said: "Apart from the unpleasantness of that, a lot of time has gone by and I think it would be unfair, in the exceptional circumstances, to send you away immediately." But he added: "If you get into the slightest trouble, even smash a window, during the next 12 months, you will be locked up."

Commenting on the disruption caused by the laptop theft the judge said: "It puts people into complete chaos. All the records are stored there and young people who steal computers from doctors, dentists and other professional people should really be locked up. It seems to me nine months is perfectly reasonable."

Mr Bradshaw said that after the burglary Malton disposed of the computer, but it was eventually traced and returned.

The surgery had been caused a great deal of costly trouble in the meantime.

The prosecutor said the knife incident happened at the Regal Bowling Alley in Harrogate when Malton took exception to derogatory remarks made about a girl by three young soldiers from the Army Foundation College in Pennypot Lane, Harrogate.

He produced the weapon and waved it about, but later told police he had no intention of using it.

Putting Malton on probation for a year to run alongside the suspended sentence, Judge Crabtree said: "You can't go around waving a knife under people's noses, it frightens them."