A convicted robber crashed his girlfriend’s car into a wall so he could go back to prison.

Stuart Burgess, 20, had only been free from a young offender institution for a week when he drove the Citroën Saxo into a garden wall.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court was told that he felt isolated in the hostel in Marine Parade, Brighton, where he had been sent after his release.

Burgess, 20, fled after crashing the car in Clayton Way, Hove, at about 5pm on Saturday.

Police found him at Goldstone Retail Park.

He had received a two-year sentence for robbery in May last year and was released on licence on May 4 this year.

His family is from Guildford but he was living in Brighton.

Lucinda Dore, defending, said: “The only accommodation that could be found for him was in a hostel with drug users, street drinkers and people who are much older than him.

“He suffers from ADHD. He is unable to communicate with the other residents.

“He had an argument with his fiancée. He drove the vehicle into a wall knowing that would place him in breach of his licence period and place him back into custody.”

Burgess admitted driving without insurance and aggravated vehicle-taking. He was returned to prison to continue his robbery sentence and given an eight-week term to run concurrently.