A MAN has been jailed after breaking into the house of a former friend and taking his car while he slept.

Teesside Crown Court heard Nicholas Vernon was intoxicated when he took the Skoda Fabia from a home in Darlington last year.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of burglary, theft of a vehicle, driving while disqualifed and driving without insurance. 

The court heard Vernon and his victim had been friends until the relationship broke down when it was alleged he attacked him.

However, they had reconciled last year and in August, Vernon had visited the home to ask for clothes and money, which were given to him, the court heard.

But soon after, the 26-year-old returned with another man and broke into the property in the early hours of the morning on August 22, while the victim and his partner were sleeping.

Prosecuting, Paul Rooney said Vernon, of no fixed abode, had smashed a window and rear door to gain entry to the property.

He went on to take the keys to a Skoda car and at about 5.17am was spotted driving by officers in a police vehicle.

They followed the car until Vernon drove into a dead end and was arrested in the driver's seat, while the other man ran away from the scene.

Mr Rooney said since the incident the victim fears the defendant will cause him, his partner and his dog harm and said he was “nervous” something was going to happen.

Vernon has nine previous convictions for 16 offences, dating back to 2007.

Stephen Hamill, mitigating for Vernon, had made a plea for his client to receive a community order, saying there was a “realistic prospect” of rehabilitation.

He said: “For someone who is a genuine drug addict, as this defendant is, a drug programme is a much harder task for him to take on than sitting in a prison cell for 12 to 18 months. I’m not being glib when I say that, It’s an intensive requirement and any blip on progress is treated extremely harshly and he would find himself back in custody.”

Judge Christopher Smith said: “This is troubling behaviour because there is an indication here that you had deliberately identified the property of a friend and you had gone there in the night when he was inside the house.”

He added that he was aware progress had been made in terms of his addiction and his health had improved as a consequences.

He said: “Drug taking over the years has led to some of your offending. The work you have done on your own back goes some way to reducing the chance of that happening again.”

He added: “I hope your time in custody will allow you to build on the progress you have made.”

He sentenced him to 26 months in prison and banned him from driving for 18 months.

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