A BURGLAR who left a woman so terrified she was forced to barricade herself into her bedroom has been jailed for eight months.

Nabil Abdullah crept into the woman's home just before midnight and could be heard banging around downstairs while looking for goods to steal.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the woman shouted out to get the burglar out of the house before calling the police.

Ian West, prosecuting, said: "She decided to confront the person by shouting from the top of the stairs 'get out of my house' she went back into her bedroom and barricaded herself in with a chair and called the police."

The 34-year-old had managed to steal a number of items before being disturbed by the householder when she shouted downstairs when she heard Abdullah 'banging' around.

Mr West said many of the items were recovered by a purse with £40 in cash and bank cards inside was never recovered.

In a victim personal statement, the woman said she was now 'extremely nervous and shaken up' by the burglary at her home of more than ten years.

She said: "No one has the right to enter my home and make me feel that way."

The court heard the defendant had a long record of 29 convictions for 48 offences with the first dating back to 2004.

Mr West said in more recent years he had been since he arrived in the area in 2017

Abdullah, of Worcester Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to the burglary on July 20.

In mitigation, Kelleigh Lodge, said Abdullah had come to the UK in the 90s with his parents but following his convictions he was no longer allowed to stay in the country but had applied for asylum seeker status.

She said: "He didn't go out with the intention to burgle, he had been struggling financially and was hungry and went out looking for food."

Miss Lodge said Abdullah had not gone out prepared to commit a burglary as he had no tools or even a carrier bag.

"He is deeply ashamed of his behaviour by entering somebody's house and wanted to express how sorry he was for committing the offence," she added.

"He went out looking for food and made the extremely foolish decision to enter the property"

The judge, Recorder Catherine Silverton, said: "You burgled a house at a time when it was occupied by the householder, she was in her bedroom when you entered her home, banging around and turning lights on, shew was so frightened that she barricaded herself in her bedroom until the police arrived."

She added: "You sensibly acknowledge that immediate custody is inevitable and I'm satisfied that only a custodial sentence will do and it is impossible to suspend it."

Adbullah was jailed for eight months.