A DNA match trapped an alleged burglar 19 months after he committed a break-in, a jury was told.

Gavin Shuck was said to have raided Whitehouse Farm, Beechtree Lane, Ismere, near Kidderminster, stealing a hi-fi.

A married couple had been refurbishing ready to move in and discovered the overnight burglary when they returned to the property the following day.

But a DNA test on blood discovered on the lounge door matched the defendant's genetic profile, said Tariq Shakoor, prosecuting.

Shuck, aged 33, of Dowles Road, Rifle Range estate, Kidderminster, denies burglary.

Worcester Crown Court heard that Graham Knight and his wife found two broken kitchen windows and the front door open on April 18, 1998.

The property had been searched, the hi-fi missing and tools left outside.

Mr Knight said work had been going on for seven months at the farm, which stood in 350 acres.

Shuck was arrested in November 1999 but stayed silent during a police interview, said Mr Shakoor.

The defendant told the jury that on the night of the burglary he was out rabbiting with a lurcher when he heard the sound of breaking glass.

He kept watch from the brow of a hill for up to half an hour but saw noone emerge from the farm.

Shuck said he climbed in through the broken window to see what had been going on.

"It was a stupid thing to do. I did it out of curiosity," he added.

He explained that he must have cut himself before looking around the house and left by the front door.

Shuck said he did not tell police he had discovered a break-in because he was involved in illegal "lamping".

The trial continues.