A HOUSEHOLDER returned from a stay with relatives following a family bereavement to find her home had been ransacked and virtually stripped bare.

The grieving woman lost almost everything - even furniture and clocks - in the break-in at the property in Stephen Street, Hartlepool, in December.

As she walked around her neighbourhood in disbelief, the victim was hit by another shock - when she saw all of her belongings in the house next door.

An occupant appeared at Teesside Crown Court charged only with handling stolen goods, and was given a community order with an alcohol treatment requirement.

Shaun Murray - who has convictions for burglary, theft and robbery on his record - had been staying in the house for just a few days, his lawyer said.

Stephen Duffield, mitigating, told the court that Murray, 29, was effectively homeless but had not been living there when the break-in happened.

When he was arrested, police found that the father-of-four had a pendant and an earring which has been taken in the burglary in his pockets.

Judge Howard Crowson told Murray if he had been responsible for what he described as "a dreadful" break-in, he would have been locked up for years.

The judge said: "The victim was very distressed, but you didn't cause that, and it's important to understand you are not being sentenced for the ransacking.

"You were assisting in the retention of stolen goods, rather than receiving them. Her main anxiety was she had been burgled in a dreadful way."

In a statement, the victim said: "I couldn't believe it. I thought neatly all my belongings were in their house. I feel absolutely devastated."

Murray, of Osborne Road, Hartlepool, admitted handling stolen goods, and Mr Duffield said: "At the time, he was taking a lot of drugs, having just separated from his long-term partner. He was offered the chance to buy some of the items, but declined."