April 25, 2022 12.08 pm This story is over 22 months old

‘Drunk’ burglar escaped through sleeping child’s bedroom window as mum screamed with terror

He has now been jailed

A prolific burglar who escaped through the bedroom window of a sleeping nine-year-old girl after being disturbed by the terrified occupants has been jailed for three years and nine months, Lincoln Crown Court heard on Monday.

Joshua Mulrooney, 26, was found in the kitchen of the family property in Winn Street, off Monks Road, Lincoln, shortly after 8am on March 27.

Lucky Thandi, prosecuting, said the girl’s mother screamed with terror after she woke and saw Mulrooney staring at her in the kitchen.

The court heard Mulrooney reacted by entering the girl’s bedroom and climbing out of the house through an open window.

Miss Thandi said Mulrooney was followed on foot by the girl’s father and at one point put down a bag of stolen property from the house to threaten his pursuer.

“Mulrooney was holding a bottle of alcohol which he gestured aggressively,” Miss Thandi added.

“He said that he was Polish, and part of the Polish Mafia, and would come back.”

When police arrived at the scene they took the girl’s father around the area in a patrol car and he managed to identify Mulrooney.

A mobile phone found on Mulrooney was discovered to have been taken from the bedroom of the nine-year-old girl.

Her father also discovered that his wallet containing bank cards and his driving licence had been taken from his jean pocket while he slept.

During interview Mulrooney claimed he had been drinking heavily and could not remember how he got all the stolen items.

The court was told Mulrooney, of no fixed address, had a string of previous convictions for burglary and was only released from custody in November 2021.

Michael Cranmer-Brown, mitigating, said Mulrooney had managed to stay out of trouble for a few months but on the night of the burglary had been binging on alcohol and could not remember what happened.

Mulrooney pleaded guilty to a single charge of burglary and was jailed for three years and nine months.

Passing sentence Judge John Pini QC told him: “This was a terrifying event for this family.

“Not surprisingly it has left them very stressed.

“A nine-year-old girl is now too scared to sleep in her own bedroom.”