A burglar who broke into a home while its occupants were sleeping has been jailed for two years.

Anthony Collis, 23, of Bowling Green Road, Castletown, admitted the charge at a previous appearance before High Bailiff Jayne Hughes.

The Court of General Gaol Delivery heard how on June 15, at about 3am, a teenager awoke having heard a bang and saw a silhouette of a man in his bedroom.

The teenager alerted his father who discovered a light was on in the bedroom of his young daughter, who was not at home at the time.

He followed Collis out of his house and chased after him down the street.

He recognised that Collis was wearing the man’s trainers and was carrying his daughter’s backpack.

apprehended by police

Prosecutor Roger Cain said when the police arrived, the man had apprehended Collis.

Officers searched the bag he was carrying and found £110 which the man said was his daughter’s savings, although Collis said this was tips from his work.

They also found items from throughout the house and said he was wearing clothes belonging to the family he had burgled and was carrying a pack of fizzy drinks he had also taken from the home.

Mr Cain read a victim statement from the father who said he has ’had trouble sleeping’ since the burglary and that he has ’become conscious of every noise’ in his home and that he felt guilty for the impact on his children.

His son said he was finding it hard to sleep and that he ’no longer feels completely safe in my own home’.

issues with alcohol

Defence advocate David Reynolds said his client has had issues with alcohol for a number of years and that he had been drinking after work on the night of the burglary.

He said Collis had been ’unreservedly apologetic’ and that he ’horrified at his actions’.

In sentencing, Deemster Graeme Cook said Collis is a ’disruptive young man’ and that his actions were ’horrific’ which would been much worse had the young girl been at her father’s home.

He added: ’This must have been very frightening for the victim and his son.’

Deemster Cook said he accepted Collis had shown remorse and that alcohol may have played a part in the burglary but added it is ’too easy to blame drink’.

He said: ’The island does not have a history of burglaries, people can leave their doors open and their keys in their cars and long may it continue. But it won’t continue because of people like you.’

And added: ’What you did to this family is nothing short of disgusting.’

Deemster Cook sentenced Collis to two years in prison and ordered him to pay £100 in compensation to the victim’s daughter.