When 22 year old Daniel Bradley Bodsworth broke into a Wentworth street business between March 18 and March 19 it wasn't a first offence. The young man has a number of prior convictions, with his first crime in the year he turned 18.

Bodsworth pleaded guilty to entering a building with an intent of stealing in Glen Innes Local court on May 29.

Through his lawyer he described a hard upbringing, saying he started drinking and smoking cannabis to cope with care by the Department of Child Safety at age 14 before bouncing between state care, foster care and family members.

He graduated to harder drugs, ecstasy and speed, on his 18^th birthday.

Since then he's also been convicted of supplying drugs, vehicle offences, common assault and resisting a police officer. He was imprisoned for that last offence, committed in 2018.

Police caught him because he left a fingerprint on the fuel tank of an antique vehicle in the fenced business which was picked up by the Armidale forensics team. He was picked up by police on May 2 - court documents show he immediately admitted the crime and was remorseful.

Magistrate Michael Holmes sentenced his to an 18 month community corrections order.

Bodsworth said he has kicked drugs but still has problems with alcohol.