A burglar who broke into two charity shops and had a haircut while inside has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Igors Solins, 25, appeared for sentencing at King’s Lynn crown court on Friday, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to breaking into the British Heart Foundation and the Norfolk Hospice shop in Wisbech on the same night.

Prosecuting, Robert Warner said Solins had been living in a dilapidated building used as a shelter for the homeless, with no running water or electricity, after being made redundant.

Solins and an accomplice, who is still wanted by police, decided to break into the BHF shop to use the electricity there to plug in an electric razor and have haircuts.

The burglaries took place in the early hours of January 6, and CCTV footage showed Solins with a head of hair before the break-ins, and not afterwards.

Mr Warner said: “Hair was found on the kitchen floor of the BHF shop, and a pair of scissors. Someone had their haircut while inside.

“Police looked at the CCTV footage. Before the burglaries Solins had a head of hair, and afterwards he did not.

“In interview he said they needed electricity to use an electric razor to cut their hair. They cut each other’s hair. They went to the hospice to steal clothing.”

The court heard that hundreds of pounds worth of damage was caused to both shops. Computer equipment worth about £250 was stolen along with £5 from a charity tin, £673.10 in petty cash, clothes, tins of beans, coffee and mugs.

Jonathan Morgans, for Solins, said his client had come to the UK from Latvia six years ago to work, and had been employed for most of that time.

Mr Morgans said: “He was made redundant from the place he had been at for three-and-a-half years and was homeless.”

He said Solins was now working at a kebab shop in Wisbech, and was living in Elizabeth Terrace in the town.

Judge Stephen Holt said it was a “despicable offence” and handed Solins 16 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for two years. He must do 200 hours unpaid work and pay each charity £100 compensation. He must also pay a £80 victim surcharge.