Burglar said he only wanted to know the time.

A HOUSE burglar who was caught climbing into a house said that he only wanted to know the time.

Paul Andrew Thomas was climbing in through a window of a house in Rhyl when he was confronted and asked what he thought he was doing.

Quick as a flash,Thomas said: ``I have only come in to ask the time.''

At an earlier hearing, Thomas had been given a chance to see if he could kick his drug habit and the case had been adjourned for him to be assessed for a possible drug treatment and testing order.

But he returned to Mold Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced after he breached bail hostel rules by testing positive for opiates.

Judge Merfyn Hughes QC told Thomas, 38, of Aquarium Street in Rhyl, that the court had been prepared to give him an opportunity to deal with his drug addiction by sending him to the Plas y Wern Bail Hostel for assessment.

``Sadly, because of events we have heard about, you are in breach of your bail,'' the judge told him,and jailed him for 15 months.

The court heard that he had been caught climbing in through the window of a house in June and householder Alan Kelly didn't believe his excuse that he simply wanted to know the time. He shouted at him to get out of his house and Thomas left,but remained outside and appeared to be high on drink or drugs.

Mr and Mrs Kelly feared that he would return but he was arrested and the couple were later able to pick him out on an identification parade.

The court heard he had a heroin and crack cocaine habit.