Woman's home trashed and covered in blood and excrement after Sunderland burglar and accomplice broke in to 'sleep it off'

The victim returned from a night away to find Bradley Fitzsimon, who was "out of his mind with drugs", and an unknown accomplice arguing in her living room.

Newcastle Crown Court heard there was blood and excrement on the floor, stab marks all over the sofa, holes in the wall upstairs, broken blinds and clothes strewn around.

The court heard the woman, who once had a "casual relationship" with Fitzsimon, was left "terrified" after the raid, which happened last August, as well as hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Fitzsimon, 22, of Vicarage Close, Sunderland, admitted burglary with intent to commit unlawful damage.

Mr Recorder Tony Hawks said Fitzsimon, who has a good work record and is about to start a job, is "entitled to one chance" and sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, with rehabilitation requirements and a £750 compensation order.

The judge said targeting the house of a woman he had a previous liaison with was "the most peculiar and bizarre thing to do" and that he found the behaviour "inexplicable".

He told Fitzsimon: "You were completely, to use the colloquialism, off your face on drink and drugs.

"If you get into this state in drink and drugs and do this sort of thing you could do anything, you don't even know what you are doing.

"You could kill someone for all you know.

"Don't do it. Don't ever do anything like this again."

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told the court the victim had returned to her home in Sunderland on August 20 last year after spending the night with a friend and could heard "males shouting" from inside.

Mr Pallister said she went in through the back door and added: "The house was in a complete mess, which it had not been.

"She could see blood on the floor, excrement on the floor, there were spots of blood all over the living room floor.

"She could see the defendant and the other male inside, who appeared to be arguing with each other, shouting at each other, offering each other for a fight."

The victim saw stab wounds all over her couch, a bloody knife on the kitchen counter and a stanley knife in the living room.

The court heard the blinds had been forced down from one bedroom window and there was footprint on the bed.

In her own bedroom she found holes in the walls, a smashed mirror and her clothes from the wardrobe were strewn around.

The woman said Fitzsimon was "extremely drunk, slurring his words" and he refused to leave until he had collected his phone and jacket.

He and the other man, who has never been traced, left the house and the woman informed the police, who she saw parked nearby.

Fitzsimon was arrested after the blood in the house was matched to his DNA.

Jamie Adams, defending, said Fitzsimon had been in a previous "casual relationship" with the woman in the past and had recently split up from his partner.

Mr Adams said Fitzsimon had gone to the woman's house to "sleep it off" and added: "The rest of his behaviour is only explicable by the condition he was in, which was out of his mind with drugs."

Mr Adams said Fizsimon comes from a good and supportive family and added; "He feels ashamed. He feels absolutely regretful for what he did to this poor woman's house."