A stranger breaking into your home is most people's worst nightmare.
Occupants who are inside when a burglar breaks in can be left terrified. They may be shaken and no longer feel safe in their own home.
A number of people across the North East have been convicted of burgling people's homes when they are inside the property.
Read more: 'Inhuman': North Shields couple jailed for a total of 50 years for trying to murder friend
In one of the most shocking cases, a woman was convicted of killing a pensioner who had a heart attack when she burgled him. In another case, a man left an 84-year-old woman distressed by breaking into her home as she slept.
Here are some of the burglar's who broke into addresses while the occupants were inside:
Jordan Caldow, Robert Smith and Jake Murray
Masked raiders burst into a couple's home looking for valuables twice in the space of a few days. The man and woman were left living in fear after they were attacked and threatened in their property in Ashington, Northumberland.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the first offence happened just after midnight, when three masked men rushed in, demanding money. Prosecutors said Robert Smith, 28, threatened to kill their barking dog if it wasn't quiet.
Smith and Jordan Caldow, 29, then assaulted the man, pushing him in the passageway and kicking him on the floor. Demands were made to be told where money or drugs were in the house.
Jake Murray, 24, was going through drawers while the assault on the man continued, with Smith hitting him in the face with a metal bar. When his partner expressed concern for him, Caldow laughed and said "he's out cold him man". The court heard how she was terrified and didn't know if her partner had been killed.
As the victim, who was unconscious, began to come round, he was told to keep his partner quiet or he would be stabbed. Murray then tried to grab the woman's phone and punched her in the face until she let go of it.
During the attack, a phone, tablet and jewellery were stolen and the home was left in disarray, including the sofa and other items being tipped over. The man was left with an injury to his eye and had to attend hospital while the woman suffered bruising and reddening to his face. The three intruders left and police were called.
A couple of days later, Smith and Murray returned, along with another man, breaking in at 3.45am while the victims were in bed. They heard people downstairs then the sound of them coming upstairs, before they burst into their bedroom.
They again demanded money and started going through drawers and threatened to kidnap their dog. They tried to steal a TV and Smith made threats to come back if they called police. The male victim later noticed his Nike trainers were missing and when Murray was arrested, he was wearing them.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said: "It made me feel afraid for my safety and I don't want to leave my house. I feel they are going to keep coming back until they are caught and cause a serious injury. I no longer want to live in my address, which I love."
Her partner added: "I'm very scared for me and my girlfriend. I don't want to leave the house or stay in. I've never felt like this before."
Earlier this month, Smith, of Blyth Terrace, Ashington admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm on the man, theft and burglary. He was jailed for 80 months.
Caldow, of Barnston, Ashington, admitted assaulting the man and theft and was jailed for 46 months. Murray, of no fixed address, admitted assaulting the woman, theft and burglary and was locked up for 69 months.
Penny Hall, defending Smith, said it was "clearly to do with drugs", said he remorseful and has mental health issues.
The court heard Caldow is "deeply remorseful for the shame he has brought on his family again". Murray's barrister said it was "very much a one-off incident".
Darren Stabler
Two terrified children locked themselves in a bathroom as the 47-year-old entered their home and helped himself to chocolates.
Durham Crown Court heard how Stabler was high on diazepam when he walked into a property in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, during the day. He 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. They locked themselves in a bathroom and called their dad, who then phoned the police.
The court in Durham heard how officers soon arrived and walked in through the unlocked front door, as Stabler had done. They found an intoxicated Stabler on the living room floor eating from a box of chocolates he'd found in the home.
The court in Durham heard how he committed the offence at an address in the Cockton Hill area of Bishop Auckland at around 3.20pm on December 1 this year. He said in interview that he had little recollection of the burglary due to the "quantity of drugs" he'd taken.
Stabler, of Teesdale Walk, Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to burglary. The court heard how he had five previous burglary offences on his record.
Martin Scarborough, defending, said Stabler had indicated an early guilty plea at the lower magistrates' court and said there was no "significant degree" of planning and was not targeted. He said: "He had been in the area as a friend of his lives in the area and he had taken diazepam. He has little recollection of what happened. He entered through an unlocked front door."
Recorder Edward Legard jailed him for 32 months in December last year.
Brian Walton
The 37-year-old burgled two pubs in Ashington, Northumberland, on the same day.
Walton, along with an unidentified accomplice, burgled a Wetherspoon's pub on September 16 this year before going to another pub and burgling that as the female licensee and her daughter slept upstairs. He took money from a safe, two charity boxes and sets of keys in the burglaries.
Neil Pallister, prosecuting, said in the early hours of September 16, Walton, with an unknown accomplice, broke into the The Rohan Kanhai pub on Woodhorn Road. He said: "The alarm was activated and the defendant, with an unidentified male, forced into the premises by smashing a glass panel and kicking it out of the door. Both were wearing stocking masks and were caught on CCTV."
Newcastle's Moot Hall heard how Walton stole a safe containing £30, papers, USBs and keys in the burglary.
He later making his way to the Block & Tackle on Blackthorn Way as the female licensee and her daughter slept upstairs. Mr Pallister said: "They were woken up after the alarm was activated. CCTV showed the men in the bar and they contacted the police as they could hear banging. When police arrived the intruders had left."
The court heard how Walton had forced open the front door and forced open a gaming machine before making off with charity boxes. Officers recognised Walton from the CCTV footage and he was arrested days later, with some stolen items being recovered.
Walton, of Sycamore Street, Ashington, Northumberland, pleaded guilty to two counts of non-domestic burglary.
Geoff Knowles, defending, said the burglaries were "unsophisticated" and were committed at a time when Walton had no medication for his mental health issues.
Mr Knowles said: "He simply has very little recollection of what went on that night and he made admissions. He has a number of mental health issues and was subject to being kidnapped and tortured in 2005."
Mr Knowles added that Walton was a "family man" who has children and was working while in prison.
In December last year, Recorder Mark McKone KC sentenced Walton to two years behind bars.
He told him he was "essentially a career thief" who began offending at the age of 14. He said the theft of charity boxes was "mean-spirited".
Sarah Daniel, Leanne English and David Bulmer
The 34-year-old was convicted of killing a pensioner who had a heart attack when she burgled him. William 'Billy' Jackson, 71, went into cardiac arrest when Daniel broke into his home in Washington.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the defendant and her partner, Leanne English, had plotted to raid Mr Jackson's home. They also preyed on another vulnerable man.
Mr Jackson lived in the Concord area of Washington and had advanced heart disease, diabetes and mobility issues. He used a scooter to get around outside and would spend most of his time at home sitting in a fishing chair in his kitchen as it was the most comfortable position he could achieve. He slept there too.
The court in Newcastle heard he was quite well known in the area as he sold tobacco and cigarettes. On September 24 last year, Daniel and English hatched a plan to trick their way in to steal from him. It was not said English took part in the raid.
Jurors were told Mr Jackson's neighbour heard voices and then the door open and saw figures emerging. He gave chase but could keep up and returned home.
He went back to Mr Jackson's flat and found him slumped on the kitchen floor and unconscious. He had suffered cardiac arrest.
Paramedics kept him alive until he reached hospital but he died in the early hours of the next morning after a series of further cardiac arrests. A pathologist, who carried out a post mortem, said he would not have died at that moment were it not for the stressful event of the burglary.
In a victim impact statement on behalf of the family, Mr Jackson's nephew, David Jackson, said: "I'm deeply upset my uncle has been robbed of his life. We miss him so much and we are heartbroken."
Mr Jackson's partner, Linda Ord, 76, said: "As a result of my Billy's death I'm left devastated and heartbroken. We were meant to be and I've no life without him, I feel lost."
Judge Penny Moreland told Daniel: "He was a soft target and you knew that. You believed he had money and would be unable to defend himself from you."
A second victim, Barry Clark, lived alone in the Sulgrave area of Washington and was befriended by his neighbours, Daniel and English, who took advantage of him.
He was the victim, initially, of an assault and a fraud then he was beaten in his own home and items were taken during the course of an aggravated burglary by Daniel and David Bulmer.
The court heard Mr Clark had allowed Daniel and English to borrow money on occasions but refused when they failed to pay him back. They would visit to have a drink and got him to allow them to use his bank account to pay money in.
In June last year English grabbed Mr Clark and held him in an underpass while Daniel took his wallet from his jeans pocket, containing his bank card and phone. She is then said to have run off and withdrawn £290 fraudulently, leaving just £10 in the account.
On September 17 last year, Daniel and Bulmer went to Mr Clark's home around 12pm, pushed him down the hallway and into the living room and that Bulmer "screamed" that he owed his friend money and hit his legs with a metal baseball bat, causing injuries, while Daniel took his wallet, containing £30, from his pocket. It's said she then took £200 cash from a coffee table.
The pair went to local shop and bought items with the stolen card before returning it through his door.
Daniel, of Waterloo Walk, Washington, was found guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to burgle Mr Jackson and aggravated burglary and two counts of fraud in relation to Mr Clark.
The court heard how Daniel had a troubled upbringing and was introduced to drugs at an early age. She was jailed for a total of 20 years in November last year.
English, 40, of Waterloo Walk, was found guilty of conspiracy to burgle Mr Jackson and common assault on Mr Clark. She was jailed for five years and five months.
English's barrister said her role was limited and she has worked hard to deal with her chronic drug problem.
Bulmer, 20, of Barmston Way, Washington, was found guilty of aggravated burglary in relation to Mr Clark but not guilty of manslaughter and conspiracy to burgle Mr Jackson. He had admitted presence at the burglary of Mr Jackson but denied any wrongdoing. He was locked up for seven years.
The court heard how Bulmer had a "traumatic and chaotic upbringing", was taking class A drugs at the time but is remorseful and has made good progress while remanded in custody.
Gemma Campbell and Audra Ames
Campbell, 38, and Ames, 51, gained access to a sheltered accommodation while no visitors were allowed due to the covid-19 pandemic. They entered Porlock House, in Jarrow, South Tyneside, in September 2020.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how it was around 8.30pm that they were let into the building by a resident. They commented to one man "I bet you've never had two beauties like us in the property."
They tried a number of doors and one of them got inside the room of an elderly man, who was pressured into handing over £40.
A room of a recently deceased man was also ransacked and they stole pictures, a mirror and curtains from the communal area of the home.
They were in the sheltered accommodation around an hour and a resident ended up pulling an emergency cord and reported there were intruders present.
Campbell and Ames, whose son, Fise was later killed, were then spotted outside stacking up stolen items next to a taxi. A judge said they had "effectively removed anything that was not nailed down" in a communal area, including pictures from the wall, a mirror, cleaning equipment and other items.
Some men who live at the home went out and Elizabeth Muir, prosecuting, said: "The men told them they were not going anywhere until the police arrived."
She added: "One resident was shaking with fear. He said he let Campbell in and she wanted to borrow £40 for gas and electric and he reluctantly gave in then she started to remove items and he tried to stop her."
Campbell and Ames pleaded guilty to burgling the dead man's flat, stealing curtains and theft of the other items from the communal area.
One resident said in a victim impact statement: "To have your door handle tried is unnerving. They should not have been in the building and should not have removed our belongings. I hope they understand the impact this has had on our community."
Another resident said: "I'm extremely annoyed at them being in our care home trying our doors. I believe (another man) let them in believing they were friends of his daughter. They are taking advantage of him being elderly and easily fooled. I'm concerned what would have happened if we had not found them."
Campbell also admitted theft of meat from Aldi, as did Grant Hunter, 45, who admitted handling a stolen Mini, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.
In November last year, Campbell, of Downham Court, South Shields, was sentenced to two years suspended for 18 months with a drug rehabilitation requirement and rehabilitation. David Callan, defending Campbell, said she is now off crack cocaine.
Ames, of Stoddart Street, South Shields, was sentenced to 16 months suspended for 18 months with 100 hours unpaid work and rehabilitation. Jennifer Coxon, for Ames, said she is vulnerable and her son was killed and that has impacted on her emotional wellbeing.
Hunter, of Beach Road, South Shields, who was on a suspended sentence at the time, was jailed for two years. Mark Styles, defending Hunter, said he borrowed the car from a friend and has been in custody for 10 months on remand.
Peter Todd
The 44-year-old stole children's cystic fibrosis medication after being released on licence for previous break-ins. He had been let out of prison to serve the remainder of a 95 month sentence for house burglaries on licence when he went back to his old ways.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Todd tried to break into one family home then raided a nearby outhouse, stealing the medication. A judge said the public would be "outraged" to hear that he was only recalled to prison for 28 days for breaching his licence on the previous sentence by committing the latest offences.
Both offences happened on May 19 this year. Todd damaged a glass panel in a door in trying to break into one house and this was discovered the following morning by the children who live there. He had also disabled CCTV and the total cost of the damage was £650.
He then went to a nearby house and burgled an outhouse, stealing five bottles of antibiotics used to treat children for cystic fibrosis. Their dad said the youngsters and his partner are now frightened to go to the outhouse because they fear someone will be there.
Todd, of Victoria Road, Bensham, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to attempted burglary and burglary.
The court in Newcastle heard how he has 60 previous convictions, including burglaries, robbery and GBH - the latter two resulting in a nine year sentence in 2004. He was also sentenced to 95 months in 2017 and had been released on licence for that at the time of the latest offences.
Sophie Allinson, defending, said: "He has become fairly institutionalised. He says this was the sole lapse of drug use he had while out of custody and it led to these offences. He fell back into old habits and consumed Valium. He has struggled enormously with his mental health."
Recorder Mark McKone KC jailed Todd for two-and-a-half years in November last year. He told him: "The public will be outraged you were recalled for only 28 days and not the full term of your licence but that's for others to deal with."
Paul Williams
Williams left an 84-year-old woman distressed by breaking into her home as she slept. The 40-year-old stole various valuables from the pensioner, including her car, leaving her shocked and angry at the intrusion.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the victim, who lives alone, woke during the night after hearing a noise but thought it was just the wind. But when she got up in the morning, she found her sliding doors open and she had been burgled.
Williams stole her TV, iPad, phone, car keys and her £8,000 car from outside. He was identified on CCTV in the area carrying a milk bottle, which was found discarded in the victim's garage.
In a victim impact statement, the pensioner, of Sunderland, said: "I can't believe someone has been in my house when I was in bed. I made a mistake by not locking the patio door but that's doesn't give anyone the right to enter my house."
Williams, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to burglary and theft in relation to that break-in, which happened in November 2020. He also admitted another burglary in August 2021.
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said: "He asks me to convey the fact he is utterly remorseful for his offending. He has had an entrenched drug addiction from a very young age. He has had a very difficult life but is making strenuous efforts to address his behaviour in custody."
Williams was jailed for 42 months in November last year.
Danielle Parker
The 30-year-old raided a home in the dead of night while on a suspended sentence for another break in.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how Parker got a garage door key fob from the owner's car and used it to access the garage and an attached home office.
The home on Woodburn Drive, Whitley Bay, was burgled on July 19 last year while the family were in bed.
The next morning they found £537 cash, sunglasses and a wallet containing bank cards had been stolen and used fraudulently to buy food, drink and a Metro ticket worth more than £100.
Parker, of Northumberland Square, North Shields, pleaded guilty to burglary, theft and two counts of fraud. The court in Newcastle heard how she had a previous sentence hanging over her and was also on a community order for handling stolen goods.
Parker had been given a suspended prison sentence for another burglary in August 2019. She was also given a community order in January 2021 for handling stolen goods and fraud.
Penny Hall, defending, said: "She is clearly remorseful. The entry doesn't go beyond the garage and was not in the main part of the house." Miss Hall added that Parker has mental health issues and is a carer for her partner.
In November last year, Judge Stephen Earl sentenced her to 20 months suspended for two years with rehabilitation, 140 hours unpaid work and £290 compensation.
The judge told Parker: "Your previous record is appalling. You were on a suspended sentence at the time and it had been extended for further offending. Your card has been marked on a number of occasions. Today is probably the last time I get to mark it again."
A youth, who was her accomplice, was dealt with separately and made to pay a similar amount of compensation.
Lee Cook
The 43-year-old took advantage of a woman leaving her door open during the summer heatwave. The burglary took place at Milling Court, Teams, Gateshead, on the early evening of July 20 last year.
Newcastle Crown Court heard how the victim had just returned from work in July and propped the door of her flat open to let some air flow due to the high temperature. But while she was going about her business, her bag was stolen from the kitchen by Cook and another man.
Kevin Wardlaw, prosecuting, said: "Because of the heatwave at the time she left the front door open, she propped it open to let air through to ventilate the flat. She went about her business and went in the bathroom. Her handbag was located on the kitchen table and the kitchen was the first room you come to when you enter the flat.
"She heard noises but put it down to people walking through the communal area. The address had been entered through the open door and her handbag taken from the kitchen table."
The court heard how her bank card was then used fraudulently three times at nearby shops to the value of £105. The victim was notified by her bank about the use of the card and she then discovered she had been burgled. Her bag also contained £120 cash and other personal items.
She said in a victim impact statement: "I no longer look forward to coming home and I feel on edge all the time. I bought headphones to block out noises from my neighbours but I don't feel safe wearing them because I want to know what's going on."
Cook, of Brettanby Road Felling, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to burglary and fraud.
Rachel Hedworth, defending, said Cook, who claimed he waited outside while someone else went in, had been remanded in custody since mid August. She added that pre-sentence reports said unpaid work would be "too onerous at this time".
In October last year, Judge Edward Bindloss sentenced him to 12 months in prison suspended for two years with a nine month drug rehabilitation requirement.
The judge said he deserved a prison sentence but that addressing his crack cocaine habit, which was the root cause of the offence, was more likely to stop him reoffending.
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