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A serial thief who broke into a house and stole two cars on separate occasions was nabbed by police who tracked him down through a receipt from a drive-thru burger restaurant in Dundee.

Police found one of the stolen cars which had been abandoned in Beauly Avenue in Kirkton and saw the receipt in the footwell of the car.

They went to the drive-thu at Kingsway West Retail Park and reviewed CCTV, which showed Alan Rachwal driving through and ordering food, before parking the car and getting out.

The police recognised him from the footage and went to his home, where they found two sets of car keys.

Detectives also found a footprint matching his shoe outside the window of a house and his DNA was also discovered on the steering wheel of the abandoned car.

Rachwal, 23, of Dundonald Street, Dundee, initially denied the offence to police, but admitted three charges at Dundee Sheriff Court on Tuesday.

He was jailed by Sheriff Charles McNair after he admitted that on January 13, at 36 Dykehead Place, he broke into a house and stole a TV, a quantity of alcohol, a mobile phone, car keys and a camera; and also stole a car from Dykehead Place.

He further admitted that between January 13 and 19 last year, at Millburn Gardens, he stole a car.

Solicitor Doug McConnell told Sheriff McNair Rachwal recognised he was “in a very difficult position” as he is serving a substantial prison sentence for housebreaking.

Sheriff McNair jailed him for 13 months and two weeks, to run from the end of his current sentence.