A 17-year-old boy who burgled a house while the occupants were in bed escaped immediate custody when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court.
The teenager, with an accomplice, smashed a window to get into the property in Portmarnock Way, Grantham. Occupants of the house were briefly woken by the noise and then dropped back to sleep.
Police were alerted by a neighbour who saw the intruders walking down the drive of the victim’s property. Officers discovered the teen, who cannot be identified because of a court order, crouching behind a car in another driveway on the same road.
He admitted burglary on July 26 when property worth £535 including a handbag and purse were taken.
He was given a youth rehabilitation order with a 12-month supervision requirement, a three-month night-time curfew, 24 hours at an attendance centre and 60 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Sean Morris told him “This is the only time you will get a chance. If you commit another burglary then you will go away. No back to your family and never commit a crime again.”
Chris Milligan, defending, said the boy has already received some punishment as he has been subjected to a curfew while on bail awaiting his Crown Court appearance.
“He needs to choose his friends more wisely.”
