A MAN who broke into his ex partner’s home and crept into her bedroom while she slept has been spared jail, after a court heard it was “out of character.”

Preston Crown Court heard Adrian Cutcliffe, 31, had been in a relationship with the woman for 12 years and they had a three year old child together.

But by the beginning of December last year, the couple had separated and Cutcliffe, of Westmorland Street, Barrow, “wasn’t handling it well”, the court heard.

On December 1, the woman locked up the house and went to bed, plugging her work and personal mobile phones in to charge on the bedroom floor.

Their young child slept beside her in the bedroom.

But when she awoke the following morning, she discovered her phones were missing, along with a bank card and set of house keys.

She went to check the front door and found her phones had been damaged and left on the doorstep.

A cap belonging to Cutcliffe was found close to an unsecured downstairs window at the side of the house.

The pair met later that day and Cutcliffe admitted he had broken into the house while his ex and their child slept.

He pleaded guilty to burglary and appeared in court yesterday to be sentenced.

In a victim statement, the woman said: “I just can’t fathom why he did it. I think maybe he has not dealt with the separation very well.”

She said she was no longer afraid of being in the house alone, as she knew Cutcliffe was responsible for the break in and didn’t think he would do it again.

Judge Philip Parry, sentencing, said: “This is an unusual case. It is mean, but it is unusual because at first blush it would easily merit a custodial sentence, entering someone’s house in the dead of night and going into their bedroom whilst they slept.

“Your ex has drafted a statement - she hasn’t set out to make your position worse. She could have done, and many would have done.

“Some people in this situation explain just how devastating this type of offence is. In fact, she has gone out of her way to tell the court she isn’t scared now she knows it is you.

“She just thinks it is out of character and you won’t do it again.

“She isn’t scared, but when she woke up that morning thinking someone had been in her house, I can only imagine the sick feeling she must have felt, thinking someone had been in her house and been in her bedroom.

“Until she knew it was you she must have been very fearful that a stranger had been in her bedroom, and you were to blame for that.”

Cutcliffe has no previous convictions and admitted his behaviour in the early hours of December 2 was “stupid”.

Judge Parry handed him an 18 month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and a curfew between 7.30pm and 6am on Mondays and Wednesdays.

He ordered him to pay £428 compensation and a victim surcharge.