Sunderland burglar left six-year-old girl in fear of 'bad man' coming back - but got caught thanks to can of Fosters

A six-year-old girl lived in fear that a "bad man" will come into her house during the night after her family home was "ransacked" by a burglar while they were out.
Michael WaitesMichael Waites
Michael Waites

Michael Waites watched the family head off on a shopping trip last April and took the chance to break into their home, rifle through every room and help himself to £3,000 worth of property before they got back.

Newcastle Crown Court heard the little girl saw the aftermath of the raid, including the arrival of a forensic team, when she returned from the shops with her mum and dad and was left traumatised.

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Prosecutor Stuart Graham told the court the mum said her young daughter has been left "absolutely terrified" and added: "She arrived back at the house to see what had been left by the defendant, she was there to see the house had been turned upside down and the arrival of the forensics team.

"She describes her daughter is absolutely terrified and wanting to sleep with her parents' for many weeks afterwards, waking up in the middle of the night thinking a bad man was coming into the house."

The court heard the whole family was effected by the raid and the mum said she tried to "put on a brave face" for the children.

Mr Graham added: "She has said the defendant, by his actions, has destroyed her happiness in her home.

"She was shocked to the core, utterly devastated."

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The court heard while searching the house Waites helped himself to electrical goods, a camcorder containing precious family memories and jewellery.

The family had noticed a stranger sitting on the wall outside when they left to go shopping and a can of Fosters lager was left where he had been sitting when they got back.

Another can had been left inside their home, which they had trouble entering as Waites had locked it from the inside while he was in there.

Waites' fingerprints were found on both cans.

The 38-year-old, of Mansforth Terrace West, Sunderland, admitted burglary.

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Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced him to 16 months behind bars, suspended for 18 months, with an eight month nighttime curfew.

The judge said it was a "wicked" offence and told Waites: "You showed callous disregard for that family, particularly those children and put your interests before theirs and didn't care less about he impact you had upon them.

"You destroyed their happiness in their home."

The judge said: "The young daughter is worried the bad man would come back, the bad man was you."

Judge Clemitson said on top of Waites' personal mitigation, the current coronavirus crisis has to be considered in the sentencing process.

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She said: "I am slow to sent anyone into the prison state at the current time unless I absolutely have to."

Tony Cornberg, defending, said Waites had been drinking and taking drugs that day during a time of personal turmoil and it was not a planned attack on the house.

Mr Cornberg said Waites accepts the effect on the little girl has been "horrendous" but has worked hard to rehabilitate himself since and added; "He is not the same person as he was in 2019."

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