A homeless man who was in a vacant Burnley shop graffitied his own name on the wall.

Blackburn Magistrates' Court heard Wayne Forrest and another man were found asleep upstairs in the property in Colne Road, Burnley.

Windows had been broken to gain entry, graffiti had damaged the walls and there were needles lying around, the court was told.

Forrest, 49, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, and was ordered to pay £100 compensation.

District Judge Alexandra Preston said she couldn’t really understand why a 49-year-old man would want to write his name on the wall of someone else’s property.

“In passing sentence I bear in mind your personal circumstances and the fact you have spent a night in the cells,” she said.

Mark Williams, in mitigation, said his client had heard from someone else who was on the streets that the property was insecure.

“He says he didn’t have to force entry but accepts he was responsible for writing his name on the wall and some of the other damage,” said Mr Williams.