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A man apologised to a woman after sneaking into her upstairs bedroom through her window at 2.45am as she and her 10-month-old baby slept.

When the woman was awoken she recognised the burglar as a nearby neighbour and demanded to know what he was doing?

Ashley Ford, 30, of Tunnard Street, Grimsby, replied: “I am sorry I didn’t realise it was you.”

He then jumped back out of the first floor window and fled.

At Grimsby Crown Court, Ford was jailed for 18 months after admitting attempted burglary at the woman's home on September 6 last year.

Sentencing Ford, Judge Mark Bury said: “It was a serious offence, committed at night time and she had a young child.”

Prosecuting, Matthew Burdon told the court Ford had climbed on to the flat roof of a bay window of the terraced home in Stanley Street, which leads into Tunnard Street, to gain access to the bedroom window.

He said: “She was asleep and was woken by a noise and found him sitting on the window sill with his feet on the floor.

“She said to him 'What are you doing?'”

The prosecutor told the court: “He said 'I am sorry. I didn’t realise it was you.' She got out of bed and saw him get out and run towards Wellington Street.”

Mr Burdon said: “She called her mother. Ford was arrested on September 19 but declined to answer questions in interview. A written statement was entered by his solicitor in which he denied entering the home.”

In the statement Ford claimed he was delivering a message from Ms Johnson’s ex partner, Jordan Jeffrey.

But police interviewed the former partner and he denied asking Ford to communicate the message.

The court heard of Ford’s previous convictions for burglary.

For Ford, Michael Masson said the window had been open at the time and no damage was caused.

He added nothing was stolen.

“It was a very brief incident and he only put his feet inside the window. She sat up and challenged him and he apologised and left.

“The following day Ms Johnson and her mother came across Ashley Ford in the street and he apologised.”

He told how his client had struggled with drug addiction and he suffered mental health problems and undergoing treatment for paranoid schizophrenia.

He said his client is father to two boys and two girls.

“It was a minor, albeit distressing, incident,” said Mr Masson.