A convicted burglar faces more jail time after admitting that he tried to steal a Land Rover from a remote farmhouse.

Christopher Collins forced open the door of the vehicle and took a mountain bike left chained up inside a shed at the Honley farm.

The 32-year-old, who has a string of convictions including 23 burglaries to his name, has spent much of the last nine years behind bars.

Kirklees magistrates heard that he had failed to address issues in his life including the impact of the murder of his father John Collins, who was beaten to death outside his Brockholes home in July 2010/

Prosecutor Andy Wills said the isolated property, at the top of a narrow road with only one entry and exit point, was targeted between October 18 and 22.

The 1971 Land Rover had not been moved for five months but the owner returned to find that it had been broken into.

The driver’s door was bent backwards, causing a split to the metal frame, and the ignition system was damaged.

A £676 mountain bike left chained up inside a shed had also been taken.

Collins was linked to the offences after leaving his fingerprints on the exterior driver’s side door but initially denied any wrongdoing.

Mr Wills said: “He said he knew the location and must have touched it (the vehicle) when he drove past or it was parked up somewhere.

“He then said that somebody else named ‘Woodsey’ tried to take the vehicle and he just looked through the window but denied being involved with the offences.”

Magistrates heard that Collins had a large number of convictions to his name, including for burglaries, dangerous driving and handling stolen goods.

He had only been out of prison for around three weeks before committing the new offences.

Collins, of Clare House in Clare Hill, had denied burglary but pleaded guilty to alternative charges of theft and attempted theft when he appeared in court via a video link from HMP Leeds.

Ian Whiteley, mitigating, said: “Since 2008 he’s been virtually in and out of prison and prison isn’t working for him.

“He’s not dealing with the issues he’s had in life.

“A few years ago his father was murdered, two people were convicted and he’s had a lot to deal with in his life.”

Mr Collins, 55, was killed by two booze-fuelled thugs who repeatedly stamped on and kicked him in the street outside his home.

In January 2011 his neighbours Douglas Stephen and Christopher Burton were jailed for life after being found guilty of his murder.

Mr Whiteley told magistrates: “He’s now at the stage where he says ‘I’d like some help’ and he’s not taken help in the past.

“He has not had a community order since 2011 and I’m going to ask you to consider not imprisoning him today because what’s that going to achieve?”

But magistrates found the case so serious that they committed Collins to Leeds Crown Court for sentencing.

He will appear there on January 4 and was remanded in custody in the meantime.