Darlington mum wakes to find burglar wearing high-vis jacket in her bedroom

Matthew Hamilton told the startled woman: "Sorry love, there's been a security breach and we are sweeping the area."

The "swaggering" intruder fled from the new housing development in Darlington empty-handed, a court was told.

But the 29-year-old had been into the baby's room and grabbed a ring, although he dropped it in his haste to leave.

Hamilton was in the midst of a crime spree which was said to have been sparked by trauma from a house fire last year.

His victim had dozed off after feeding her ten-month-old son, but woke half-naked when she heard the bedroom door open.

After he scarpered and the confused woman realised what had happened, she rang police and Hamilton was later arrested.

He had earlier broken into a car, and was on bail for another two burglaries in the town and handling stolen goods.

A judge at Teesside Crown Court told him he had left the young mum terrified and afraid to stay at home by herself.

She said in a victim impact statement that she continually checked cupboards because she feared he was hiding in the house.

Recorder James Adkin told Hamilton: "She was semi-naked. It is difficult to imagine a more gross invasion of privacy.

"There was a certain amount of swagger about the way you committed this by saying 'sorry, love, there's been a security breach'."

Jailing Hamilton, of Prescott Street, Darlington, for three years, the judge told him: "You were in that property to burgle."

An accomplice in some of the crimes, Mohammed Islam, of West Auckland Road, was locked up for two years and five months.

The court heard that the 38-year-old broke into a house in May while the occupant and her three children were asleep.

He stole an XBox games console - described by the mum as her autistic son's "only friend" - along with games and a headset.

Hamilton - who also handled two stolen bikes and was involved in a garage raid - sold the gear at Cash Converters.

He also stole £1,000 in cash, a pair of cufflinks, aftershave, binoculars, a watch and a lap-top in a burglary days earlier.

His lawyer, Steven Andrews, said Hamilton had "a troubled background" and has struggled with heroin, cannabis and amphetamine.

Mr Andrews said his crimes were "not sophisticated in the extreme" but admitted there was "an element of pre-planning".

But he told the judge: "A high-visibility jacket for a night-time burglary is certainly not good-thinking."

Kieran Rainey, for Islam, said he had "a long and chequered history" but was making good progress on remand in prison.

The breastfeeding mum said afterwards: "Initially, I thought his story was true. I felt really scared and upset when I realised it was not.

"I was relieved that my baby was in bed with me because the thought of somebody entering his room when he was sleeping is horrifying.

"I kept searching to make sure he was gone. I'm now very paranoid. It has totally ruined the first couple of weeks in our new home."

From house fire hero to villain

BURGLAR Matthew Hamilton went from fire hero to villain in the space of just a few days.

He saved his family from an arson attack on their home by a disgruntled guest in April.

Within several weeks, the 29-year-old was beginning a crime spree across Darlington.

His lawyer, Steven Andrews, said he was "managing" his drug problems until the fire.

"It was a very deliberate and concerted attack," Mr Andrews told Recorder James Adkin.

"The perpetrators were brought to justice and are currently serving lengthy custodial sentences.

"The impact on him - an already vulnerable young man - was a pretty rapid descent.

"He wondered 'is there going to be an attack on me?' and 'what was the attack all about?'

"That forms the immediate backdrop to all these offences. His thinking process was not right."

Nathan Young set fire to the house in Rydal Street before embarking on a series of other crimes.

He was involved in a 90-minute stand-off with police as he started rood-top blazes in Bondgate.

Flames and smoke damaged the Majestic soft play area and the Simply Pleasure shop next door.

Young, from Stockton, was given a life sentence in August for the life-threatening attack.

The 24-year-old was a friend of Hamilton and his family had put him up, the court was told.

When he was asked to leave after taking drugs,the 24-year-old flipped and started the blaze.

Afterwards, the victims told how their lives have been ruined by the arson attack on their home.

Young could easily have killed the five people inside the two-bedroomed terraced house.

They escaped only because Hamilton was sleeping on a sofa in the living room and was alerted.

He was woken by an explosion and rushed to alert his mother, her partner, his brother and his girlfriend.

In a statement, the woman, 56, said she struggled to eat, was paranoid, subdued and afraid to be alone at home.

She said she lost sentimental items, including a grandfather clock, in the fire which wrecked the property.

"I cannot trust anyone any more," she said. "I'm wary of people visiting the house. I'm in an absolute state of shock."He was meant to be my son's friend. The fire is constantly on my mind. I have nightmares and I wake up screaming. I feel subdued.

Hamilton, who persuaded his mum to put up Young when he was homeless, told how he now had. trouble sleeping.

He said: "I've tried to rebuild my life since it happened. I have a feeling of fear which I keep reliving. I feel guilty.

"I think about what could have happened if I had slept a bit longer that morning. I went back to the house after the fire had been put out and I was in complete shock to see it had been totally destroyed."

Judge Michael Taylor said Young "acted like a madman" and added: "You pose a considerable danger to life and limb as well as property."