A BURGLAR who crept into a Carlisle couple’s home as they slept in the early hours of the morning has been spared immediate prison.
Liam Matthew Warwick, 22, was confronted by the householder, who was woken and went downstairs after the intruder had opened a bedroom door while he and his wife were asleep.
Warwick fled, empty-handed, through an open living room window but was tracked down having left blood at the crime scene. He admitted burglary – and had a previous break-in on his record – and was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court today (TUES).
In a victim impact statement, the male occupant spoke of his shock that his home had been invaded, adding: “I can’t believe this happened to us.”
Warwick, of Wentworth Drive, Carlisle, had “no recall” of the crime after drinking earlier in the night, but had expressed remorse. After hearing detailed mitigation about the defendant’s “long-standing, significant and relevant” medical problems, Judge James Adkin concluded that his mental disorder was linked to the commission of the offence.
In view of that mental health condition, Judge Adkin suspended a 16-month jail term for two years, and imposed unpaid work, rehabilitation and a six-month night-time curfew. He told Warwick: “I am going to give you a final chance. If I see you again for burglary I will give you four years in prison.”
