Householder stunned to find Hartlepool burglar asleep on floor in children's bedroom

Ben Judge, from Hartlepool, was jailed for more than two years for the series offences he committed after a traumatic event brought his life “crashing down” Teesside Crown Court heard.

The 26-year-old broke his ex partner’s nose after kneeing her to the face after going round to her house in September 2020.

Prosecutor Thomas Parsons-Munn said after the two talked that Judge turned nasty and jumped off a sofa and hit the woman in the face with his knee.

She was left with blood pouring from her nose which required resetting under anaesthetic.

In June of last year while on bail, Judge intimidated a witness in a case involving his friend when he called a woman to try to persuade her not to attend court to give evidence.

Two months later he and someone else stole a woman’s car after attending a party in Suggitt Street before writing the vehicle off by crashing it in Park Road.

Then in September, again while on bail, Judge tried to burgle a home in Kingsley Avenue but was chased away.

The same day he was found inside another address nearby in Wordsworth Avenue when he tried to steal Nintendo computer devices.

Mr Parsons-Munn said: “The victim went upstairs and discovered the defendant laid asleep on the floor of the children’s bedroom.

"At the time three children were present at the property.”

Judge, of Farr Walk, Hartlepool, was found guilty of actual bodily harm and admitted all the other offences.

Stephen Constantine, mitigating, said Judge lost his job and his relationship suffered after he witnessed an accident in early 2020.

Mr Constantine said: “It quite simply brought his life crashing down.”

He submitted the assault did not cause really serious injury, and said the burglaries were not targeted but were a consequence of his state involving drugs and alcohol at the time.

Jailing Judge for two years and three months, Judge Jonathan Carroll said: “One can only imagine the horror of the victim when he went upstairs and found you asleep on the floor of the children’s bedroom when he had three children in the house.”

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