A BUNGLING burglar left his fingerprints on the cleaning bottle he used to 'cover his tracks'.

Burglar Jamie Nash, 41, and his brother Justin Nash, 39, broke into a home with hammers, stealing a handbag, cash and jewellery.

Justin Nash, who had no fixed address, had already been jailed for 18 months when his brother Jamie Nash appeared over videolink before Judge Nicholas Cole at Worcester Crown Court on Monday.

We reported in May how Judge Andrew Lockhart QC told Justin Nash: "Grow up - you're nearly 40."

The raid happened at a gated community in Butterwick Close, Barnt Green, Bromsgrove on February 4 this year.

The brothers stole £1,100 in property and £660 in cash. In a victim personal statement the homeowner said: "This crime has left my family feeling insecure, vulnerable and has changed our quality of life for the worse."

Paul Whitfield, prosecuting, said the brothers entered via the back garden, and 'broke in using hammers' to smash the widows in the conservatory.

Mr Whitfield said Jamie Nash had used a bottle of Dettol spray in what 'may have been an attempt to extinguish some kind of scientific evidence' but left 'fingerprints on the bottle'.

His brother Justin also left a blood sample at the scene on a piece of broken glass.

Justin Nash had 17 convictions for 36 offences and Jamie Nash had 20 convictions for 37 offences.

Jamie Nash had a number of previous convictions for non-dwelling burglaries, including one involving the theft of high value watches in Cribbs Causeway and an a raid at an arts gallery where he stole £44,975 of sculptures.

Jailed on May 10 this year for three commercial burglaries, Jamie Nash is already serving a 42 month prison sentence with his earliest release on December 12 next year.

However, unlike his brother, Jamie Nash had no previous convictions for house burglaries but did have convictions for shoplifting and drug possession.

Joseph Keating, for Jamie Nash, argued that there was a distinction to be drawn between his client and his brother who had three house burglaries on his record.

"At the time he was feeding his habit for drugs" said Mr Keating.

Mr Keating also said his client was struggling to cope at the Manchester prison 'away from his family'. "He's very much isolated where he is at the moment. He states he's very sorry for what happened" said Mr Keating.

Mr Keating said of Nash's 14-year-old daughter: "Although she loves him she is ashamed of the position he is in and that makes him ashamed of himself."

Nash was getting mocked for his accent in HMP Forest Bank, the advocate told the court.

Judge Nicholas Cole told Nash: "This was a nasty offence. The jewellery will have had some sentimental value."

He added: "You were traced because you used a bottle Dettol in the property, sprayed it around to try and cover your tracks but you left your DNA on that bottle."

The judge jailed him for 18 months. Though his brother had more house burglaries on his record, Jamie Nash had entered his guilty plea 'late' so the sentences were in the end identical.

This sentence will be concurrent to the one he is already serving.