Days after being released from prison, a recovering heroin addict desperate for a hit stole a purse to feed his habit.

Roy Burwood, 47, was on his way to get a dose of mehthodone – a heroine substitute used in treating addiction – when he stole a £50 purse from a car parked in Northfield Road, Dagenham, because he couldn’t wait for his treatment.

He was challenged by the car’s owner following the theft, who had been told someone was breaking into her car and took a photo of Burwood on her phone as he walked away, shortly before police arrested him.

The purse was never recovered, despite Burwood, of Bow, telling officers where he had thrown its contents.

Before sentencing Burwood, who pleaded guilty to theft, to four months in prison at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on Friday, District Judge Mary Conelly said: “You chose to do this within days of coming out of custody. You could have chosen to do something different but you chose the same pattern, so we will choose the same pattern for you.”