A YOUNG father will have to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work after being caught with stolen laptops.

Police were called to the home of Ashley Shepherd in Caversham on March 13 and found three devices worth more than £1,000.

The laptops were originally taken during a burglary a month before and were found stashed in a black bag in his kitchen bin.

The court heard how the 30-year-old had gone through a 'thread of offending' and had a number of previous convictions for theft.

He also served five years in prison for conspiracy to commit burglary and more recently he was convicted for possessing cocaine.

Kaj Scarsbrook, prosecuting at Reading Crown Court on Thursday, said: "Police found an Apple MacBook, Dell laptop and Asus laptop in a rucksack inside a black bag.

"All of the good were returned in good condition and there is no need for compensation.

"The exact value of the property is not known, but it is estimated to be between £1,000 and £2,000."

Shepherd, of Alston Walk, admitted to one count of handling stolen goods and was ordered to carry out 30 days of the Thinking Skills Programme on top of his unpaid work.

He was previously convicted for the same offence in 2009, which resulted in him breaching a suspended sentence of two and a half years.

He was remanded in custody from March 15 and spent the equivalent of two and a half months in prison.

Judge Maria Lamb urged Shepherd to make the most of not being sent to custody and to break his habit of offending.

Sophie Chaplin, mitigating, said Shepherd had an 'unenviable record' and wanted to be a 'positive influence' on his young children.

She added: "He realises he cannot continue to associate with people who make it easier for him to keep falling into the position he finds himself in.

"Having spent some time in custody, the punishment element may have already happened and the best thing to do is start the rehabilitation part of his sentence."