A CHANNINGS Wood prisoner has admitted having five mobile phones inside the south Devon jail.

Shaun Bennett was found with the smart phones, chargers and SIM cards shortly before he was due to be released from a three-year sentence for burglary.

Bennett, aged 42, of Beech Road , Tiverton, admitted possessing prohibited items in HM Prison Channings Wood, near Newton Abbot, on March 9, 2016.

The contraband was specified as being five mobile phones, charging cables and SIM cards, which were described as devices capable of transmitting images and information electronically.

Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, adjourned the case for sentence later this month and ordered a probation report which will be prepared on the day.

Miss Emmi Wilson, defending, said Bennett received a three year sentence in October 2015 from which he would have been released in December in normal circumstances.

She said the sentencing judge would be helped by a probation report.

Bennett is a serial burglar whose last sentence was imposed for a raid on a house at Budlake, near Broadclyst, which was empty while the owners were on holiday.

Neighbours who had been asked to water plants noticed him acting suspiciously and challenged him.

He claimed to be looking for a nearby equestrian centre but they noticed he doubled back and headed straight for the empty cottage.

He fled empty handed when they hammered on the door but he left a distinctive turquoise top at a nearby bus stop and was traced through DNA.

He had been released a month earlier from a four-year sentence for breaking into 15 different homes in Tiverton, Starcross and Exeter, and was living in Smythen Street, Exeter, at the time of his arrest.