Terrified woman found burglar eating tomato

A burglar who was found by a woman eating a tomato in her kitchen has been jailed for more than two years.

Stephen Young, 45, scaled a 5ft (1.5m)-high fence and walked into his victim's home while she was outside doing chores on 12 May, Teesside Crown Court heard.

He left when confronted by the woman who said she was terrified by the encounter, which left her feeling "shaken" and "unsafe in her own home". She was also now "scared" to do simple tasks such as go to her car or bring the bins in for fear of someone coming into her home, the court heard.

Young, from Hartlepool, who had a "dismal" criminal record comprising dozens of offences, admitted burglary and was jailed for 876 days.

Recorder Andrew Dallas said intrusions into people's houses had "real and very long-lasting affects on householders" and Young's actions would "no doubt be an ongoing concern" for the victim.

He said the woman now suffered with anxiety and had changed her routines at home "because of the consciousness she might be burgled".

Dallas said the fact Young "may have been considerably affected by alcohol and or drugs" at the time was "of no consolation" to the woman.

The judge described Young's criminal record of 74 offences as "dismal", adding he was now a "third-strike" burglar having already served two prison terms for the offence.

Young's sentence amounts to two years, four months, three weeks and three days.

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