FORMER doorman Donald Tomlinson, who broke into his ex-partner's Dursley home and stole a USB memory stick from her computer, was sentenced to do unpaid work for the community.

Tomlinson, 24, of Midland Road, Gloucester, had denied raiding night club barmaid Emma Miles' terraced home in Dursley but was convicted last month by a jury at Gloucester Crown Court.

He returned to court for sentence on Wednesday, March 25, and Recorder Adrian Palmer QC said he did not consider a prison sentence necessary - even though the offence had been a breach of trust and amounted to a form of domestic abuse.

"There must have been some element there of you seeking to exert continuing power and influence over her," said the Recorder.

"The fact is that you trespassed into her home and caused the inevitable distress that goes with any domestic burglary."

The Recorder imposed an 18-month community order with a 30 day programme requirement and 80 hours of unpaid work.

At Tomlinson's trial last month the jury heard Ms Miles discovered the burglary when she arrived home to find the house had been entered through a window she left ajar.At first she did not notice at first that anything was missing.

Later, when she logged onto her computer, she realised that someone had used it and had looked at some of her personal photographs.

She also realised that a USB stick a neighbour had given her a day or two earlier was missing.

That led her to suspect that ex-partner Tomlinson, the father of her younger child, was the culprit. He was the only person other than herself who knew her computer password.

Tomlinson pleaded not guilty to burgling Ms Miles' home while she was away between October 3 and 6, 2013.

In evidence Tomlinson said the USB stick had been put through his letterbox in a brown envelope and he suspected it may have come from a member of local gang OPM to draw attention to the poor security at Ms Miles' home.

Today defence barrister Robert Morgan-Jones said that although he has a record for offences such as being drunk and disorderly Tomlinson had never previously been convicted of dishonesty.

"He is currently unemployed and living with his partner's mother," the barrister said. "He hopes to get some work although this case causes him some difficulty. His historical employment is as a member of door staff but that is no longer available to him and won't be because of this conviction.

"His father is in the building trade and he may be able to get work with him. He has a new partner who has come to support him. They don't live together but they have a 12-month-old child together. That child has a heart condition and is in and out of hospital."