A CARLISLE burglar caught red-handed at the scene of his crime has been given a 14-month prison sentence.
Jamie George William Wade, 21, was captured on CCTV as he tried to force entry to the front door of the Aglionby Street property on April 15.
Wade got in through a window at the back and was still inside when police – who had been alerted by neighbours – arrived.
A prosecutor told Carlisle Crown Court the home had been ransacked with a “very untidy search” having caused the householder distress when she returned and discovered the break-in.
Wade, of no fixed address, admitted burglary, and also pleaded guilty to seven theft charges following a string of shoplifting crimes earlier in the month.
The court heard his break-in had been “under-scored by a need for heroin”.
Wade was jailed by Judge James Adkin, who noted the profound impact of his crime on the victim.
“She was shaken and scared out of her skin,” said Judge Adkin. “She says it was horrible to think that somebody had been through her belongings.”
