AN ex-serviceman from North Yorkshire has admitted the attempted burglary of Wayne Rooney's mansion as the footballer played in his club testimonial match.

Robert McNamara, 24, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court to attempting to enter as a trespasser at the striker's family home in Prestbury, Cheshire, with intent to steal on August 3.

The alarm at the Manchester United and England star's £6million property in Prestbury was reportedly triggered at about 9pm and police descended to carry out a full search of the area.

Rooney, his wife, Coleen, and their three sons, Kai, Klay and Kit, were attending the charity tribute game at Old Trafford against his first club, Everton, when the break-in bid took place.

McNamara, of Newby Farm Crescent, Scalby, was arrested six days later.

The prosecution case was not outlined during the brief hearing but the court heard that McNamara had recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and that his concerned family had sought help earlier this year from Combat Stress, a veterans' mental health charity.

Judge Nicholas Woodward said there were "very worrying features" in the case as he adjourned sentencing until December 21 for a pre-sentence report to be carried out by the Probation Service.