A mean son raided his mum’s home but didn’t plead guilty to burglary until SHE arrived at court to give evidence against him.

Now a judge has told druggie James Pope that he took “a dim view of you putting the woman, who gave birth to you, through hell.”

The 32 year old’s barrister John Fitzgerald told Canterbury Crown Court he was ashamed of himself for the raid on his mother’s home in Peene Cottages, Peene in July.

But the judge, Recorder Paul Taylor retorted: “I just don’t accept the assertion he feels deep remorse.

“He put his mother through the hell of going to bed thinking she was to give evidence against her own son.”

Pope, of Victoria Park, Dover pleaded guilty just minutes before he was to stand trial and after his mother had arrived at court.

The judge retorted: "One way of looking at this is he was hoping his mum wouldn’t turn up at court and give evidence for the prosecution and he would just walk away from this."

The court heard how in July the drug addict had been allowed to have a shower at the house after being driven there by his mother.

But secretly he opened a window and later returned to steal items, including an Ipad, mobile phone, shop vouchers – planning to raise money to feed his drugs habit.

Pope had been jailed for two years last year after being caught up in “Operation Victory” - a police operation against pushers and suppliers in Dover.

Mr Fitzgerald said the defendant had lived a “law-abiding” and stable life for seven years and had become a father but went off the rails when the relationship broke down.

“He came to drugs a few years ago when a friend told him doing heroin would be great and make him feel better.

“With all due respect to my lay client, idiot that he was, he believed it and thought he would give it a go.”

Mr Fitzgerald said Pope had always admitted taking the items but had had disputed breaking in.

The Judge said: “His poor mother had to come to court to give evidence against her own son. If he had owned up before today he would have received a shorter sentence.”

Pope, who admitted burglary, was jailed for 54 weeks.