A CAREER criminal who burgled a pharmacy while drunk and high on a cocktail of heroin and crack cocaine has been jailed.

Preston Crown Court heard how 58-year-old Sirajudeen Geloo received live CCTV footage to his phone of defendant Mark Craig breaking into his pharmacy in Cleaver Street, Blackburn, at 9.30pm on May 4.

Prosecuting, David Clarke said Mr Geloo asked his daughter to call the police but went down to the property in Larkhill himself with his two sons to wait for officers to arrive.

Arriving seven minutes later, with a wooden stick for their own protection and concerned that the premises had been burgled a few weeks earlier, the three men encountered Craig's accomplice who was acting as a lookout at the rear of the premises.

One of Mr Geloo's sons, Sufiyan, said that man was holding the rear shutter up and when he was asked to go to the floor refused to cooperate.

Mr Clarke said: "It was at this point that Mr Craig came out of the rear door and he lunged towards Mr Sirajudeen Geloo and his sons, throwing punches as he did so. He caught Mr Sirajudeen Geloo with a glancing blow to the right side of his face.

"He was also seen to reach down to try to pick up what appears to have been a piece of metal which was on the floor and had a sharp edge to it. The three of them restrained the defendant as he tried to take hold of that piece of metal. The other man, Mr Craig's accomplice, ran off in the meantime.

"It's fair to say that in their efforts to restrain the man Usama Geloo accepts the defendant was struck with the stick that they brought with them a few times and his head was left bleeding as a consequence."

Mr Clarke said the police arrived within five minutes and when they searched 34-year-old Craig and where he had been standing they found five packets of drugs, including Amitriptyline and Zopiclone with the Geloo Brothers pharmacy label on it.

Mr Clarke said: "When the defendant was interviewed he explained that he had been in the town centre in Blackburn between one and two in the afternoon and consumed nine cans of nine per cent strength lager and he had taken some medication, and he'd injected some heroin, and crack cocaine.

"He had no idea why they went near the chemist or who he was with and just simply recalls being beaten up by three men. He was shown the CCTV and he says that the man the police currently have released under investigation is not the second man who was seen at the scene."

Craig, 34, of Dundee Drive, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to burglary. The court heard he has 57 previous convictions for 104 offences and at the time of committing the burglary he was on post-sentence supervision licence.

Defending, Neil Howard said his client had little recollection of the incident and the items were recovered. He said Craig's best mitigation was his early guilty plea.

Mr Howard said: "It is clear he comes off second best in the altercation and he suffered a number of injuries, requiring stitches to the head."

Jailing Craig for 22 months, Judge Philip Parry said the defendant's offending was largely financially motivated to fund his chaotic lifestyle.

Deciding against suspending the sentence, Judge Parry said: "Pharmacies, doctors surgeries and the like must be protected and there must be a deterrent element to those who seek to target them."