A MAN who raped a woman as she slept in her own home is starting a five-year prison sentence for what a judge called "a nasty offence".

The vulnerable victim woke to find her attacker behind her on a sofa, and her son asking what was going on.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Nicholas Deacon was chased from the property by the son with two knives he got from the kitchen.

Prosecutor Richard Bennett said the police were called and 51-year-old Deacon was arrested in the street nearby.

He immediately told officers: "I admit it, I did it. I hold my hands up."

At a hearing last month, he admitted rape, and has just appeared again to be sentenced.

Judge Simon Bourne-Arton, QC, also imposed a restraining order to keep Deacon away from the woman and her son.

In a statement, the victim said: "I do not feel safe in my own home any more. I am constantly worried someone will attack me again."

Tom Mitchell, mitigating, said Deacon, of Fawcus Court, Redcar, is "heartily sorry" for what he did.

"He has attempted suicide while in custody, and it is only the good work of officers and another inmate that he is here today," he added. "He admitted the offence almost immediately to the police, and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity."

The judge told him: "You took advantage of the vulnerability of your victim."