A TEENAGER convicted of a involvement in a conspiracy to burgle several homes and steal the owners' cars has had his sentence reduced.

At Bolton Crown Court earlier this month 18-year-old Jack Rourke was sentenced to 39 months in a young offenders' institution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary, two counts of conspiracy to steal and two counts of handling stolen goods as well as attempted burglary.

His co-accused 21-year-old bricklayer Wilcox, who took part in one of the burglaries and a theft, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months while Rourke's girlfriend, Courtney Wilkinson, aged 21, received a community order for assisting an offender.

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At the sentencing hearing Judge Graeme Smith was told that Rourke, of Tong Road, Little Lever, had become involved in crime in order to pay off a drug debt.

But at subsequent hearing Judge Smith decided he had not taken enough account of the pressure Rourke had been under and so has reduced his custodial sentence to two years in a young offenders institution, suspended for two years.

He will have to undertake 300 hours of unpaid work and participate in 40 days of rehabilitation activities.