A burglar was spotted prowling around an Ipswich home by the owner after he was alerted to the break-in by a phone app, a court heard.

David Nunn, of Henley Road, was on holiday in France on October 3 when a Yi camera in his home detected movement in the property at around 8.50pm.

The app sent an alert to his mobile phone showing someone in the downstairs hallway with a torch, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Cans of Budweiser beer were also taken, and in another chance discovery, 48-year-old Arthur Edwards was arrested after his DNA was found on a can found nearby.

It was discovered by an off-duty police officer who had spotted a man drinking at a sports centre car park shortly after the burglary.

Mr Nunn immediately called a neighbour after spotting Edwards in his home and they rang the police, said prosecutor Peter Gair.

Two rings belonging to his wife and his son’s watch were among £1,000 worth of property stolen during the raid.

The court heard Edwards smashed glass to get into the Henley Road property.

The 48-year-old, of no fixed address, admitted the burglary at the house on October 3.

Jailing him for two-and-a-half years, Judge Emma Peters said people should be able to go on holiday without having to worry about their homes being broken into.

“It must have been a great shock for Mr Nunn seeing someone walking around his house with a torch,” she said.

The court heard Edwards has six previous convictions for burglary between 1987 and 2009.

He was therefore subject to a mandatory minimum jail term of three years, which was reduced in this case by 20% for his early guilty plea.

Steven Dyble for Edwards said his client was homeless at the time of the burglary in Henley Road and had hoped to get money to buy food.

Edwards had a history of substance abuse and had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, he added.