A mother and her young son were left frightened in their own home after burglars smashed their way in and stole valuables.
The woman returned from taking her dog for a walk to find a glass door to the house had been broken and around £1,500 of items had been taken, including her son's games console and her bike.
Now Paul Young has joined Dylan Newall, who was locked up for the burglary in Houghton-le-Spring and other offences last year, behind bars. As Young was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court, the woman they burgled said in a victim impact statement: "After the burglary I was angry and scared about these people coming into my house. Also the bairn's stuff that was stolen was not replaceable.
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"My son didn't want to be at home and was frightened the offenders would return to steal more. I was scared to the point I updated my security and I make sure everything is locked and secured.
"I don't want to leave the house or be in the house on my own in case someone comes back to steal. I will never forget that day, returning home to find I had been burgled.
"I still feel unhappy about being here, it's not a home anymore. My son has been without his games and console, which I couldn't replace.
"My bike was my transport to work. This added an extra financial burden to get to work, which is difficult when I have early starts and late finishes. The bike was also my exercise and allowed me to join friends and see people.
"This has been a difficult two years, knowing the offenders are still out there. My son still worries to this day that people will come back to the house. He shouldn't have to deal with it at his age, he's just a little lad who's had to deal with this awful crime."
Young, who has five previous convictions, including for burglary and handling stolen goods and who was on a suspended sentence at the time, broke into the home on Burnside Avenue, Houghton-le-Spring, on the afternoon of September 12, 2020.
When the woman returned from walking her dog she found a door had been kicked in and there was smashed glass on the floor. She found a number of items had been stolen, including her son's Nintendo games console and games, a tablet and her bike, which was worth £800.
Young and Newall went to CEX in Sunderland and while they failed to sell the console, they did fraudulently sell all but one of the games, for £146. Most of the games and the console were recovered but the bike and tablet were not.
Young, 39, of Baker Street, Houghton-le-Spring, pleaded guilty to burglary and fraud and was jailed for 30 months. Newall, 27, of Grindon Lane, Sunderland, was previously locked up for 50 months for a series of offences.
Helen Towers, for Young, said: "He feels remorse that the complainant has gone through what she has. He describes his demise in 2019 back into his addiction, which led to the loss of his children and this being a downward spiral."
Miss Towers said Young had then gone "cold turkey" due to fearing losing his children forever and he has now been drug-free for two years.
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