Shamed burglar’s special delivery to victim

A court heard Luke Pearce gave himself up to police after he felt ashamed of what he had done.

Pearce, 20, forced his way into the property on Moorside End, Dewsbury, in the early hours of May 31 this year as the young mum and two children who lived there were asleep in bed.

Leeds Crown Court heard the woman was woken by a voice and intitially though it was her brother, who was spending the night at the property.

She then realised it was the voice of an intruder and went downstairs to find that the house had been burgled.

Pearce had taken a mobile phone, a jacket and £75 in cash. He left a can of cider in the house and it was found to contain his DNA. Pearce contacted police on June 18 and arranged to be interviewed. He admitted to officers that he had carried out the burglary after he had been drinking and taking drugs at a party at a house nearby.

Pearce, of Heckmondwike Road, Dewsbury, said he broke into the house after seeing a light on inside as he was leaving the party.

He admitted being ashamed of what he had done and had returned to the house and posted £90 in cash through the letter box.

Michael Jowett, mitigating, described the offence as “utterly stupid and irresponsible”. He said Pearce was sorry for what he had done and no previous convictions for burglary.

Pearce was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and told he must do 100 hours unpaid work.

Judge Sean Morris said: “You can have no complaints if I send you away straight away. But your subsequent behaviour is going to allow me to step back from that.”