A man who carried out three separate burglaries in Oldham in the space of a day has been told to "get a grip" of his life by a judge.

Edward Thomson, of Tensing Street, Oldham, appeared at Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday, July 5 to be sentenced.

Hayley Bennett, prosecuting, explained how in the early hours of December 21, a couple were awoken by the defendant, who was in their bedroom with a torch.

Thomson ran out of the bedroom and downstairs while the couple chased him.

He said to the couple: "I'll stab you if you don't let me out." 

Thomson had entered the house on Danisher Lane via the downstairs bathroom window and left through a different window having stolen a purse from a handbag. 

Ms Bennett also said there was "evidence of ransacking" in the address.

At around 8.20am later that morning, at an address on Hilary Avenue, a couple heard their car alarm go off before seeing Thomson walking down the street with their wheelie bin.   

The man went after Thomson, who had taken his Christmas gift for his partner.

Thomson pulled a knife out of his pocket and said to the victim: "Stop following me or I'll stab you".

He also threw a rock at a neighbour who had tried to step in before fleeing, causing him actual bodily harm.

The man returned to his house to find the passenger window of his car had been smashed and Thomson had accessed his garage.

The last incident saw Thomson knock on the front door of an 88-year-old man in the early hours of December 22, who let him enter, believing him to be his carer.

When in the address, Thomson stole six purses and wallets in total, which included the victim's pension money to the value of roughly £1,500, along with a watch and jewellery.

As he tried to leave the address on Schofield Street, the victim tried to stop him exiting, leading to a struggle which saw the victim cut his arm.

Thomson was eventually arrested in Oldham town centre on December 22, with police finding a flick knife and over £2,000 in his possession.

On June 7, he pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery and one count of burglary, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, theft and threatening someone with a bladed article.

Sonya O'Brien, defending, told the court Thomson was "horrified at his behaviour", was "disgusted by what he said" and wholly regretted his actions.

She said Thomson only had "snippets of memory" from the incidents as he was under the influence of heroin at the time.

When passing sentence, Judge John Edwards told Thomson, who has a long history of burglaries: "You've got to get a grip on your life." 

Thomson was sentenced to five years and three months in jail.