Two terrified children locked themselves in a bathroom as a burglar entered their home and helped himself to chocolates.
Darren Stabler, 47, was high on diazepam when he walked into a Bishop Auckland home during the day, sat down in the living room and began eating a box of chocolates. Two brothers, a 15-year-old and a seven-year-old, were in the house at the time of the burglary and locked themselves in a bathroom and called their dad, who then phoned the police.
When police arrived, an intoxicated Stabler was seen sitting on the floor and told officers in interview he had little recollection of the burglary due to the "quantity of drugs" he'd taken. Stabler appeared at Durham Crown Court on Thursday to be sentenced for burglary, he pleaded guilty to the single charge at the hearing.
