His victim was left cowering under the covers for what ‘felt like a lifetime’ with her ‘heart pounding’
A woman was left cowering under the covers for what “felt like a lifetime” after she woke up to find a burglar at the foot of her bed. Ian Thompson crept into his victim’s bedroom as she slept and rifled through her belongings during a string of break-ins.
The mum initially believed that she had been woken by her husband returning home from work in the early hours, but instead cried, “what the f***” and was left with her “heart pounding” after being greeted by the sight of the complete stranger “glaring” at her. She today implored a judge to “throw away the key” over the “petrifying” incident.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Thursday, that Thompson first struck on October 14 last year at an address on Warwick Avenue in Crosby which Colin Carrington had called home for 40 years. He and his wife had left the property at around 5.30pm on that date before returning at 7.45pm to discover that one of their windows had been smashed by an intruder, who went on to help himself to sweets, gin, and a handbag after gaining entry.
Oliver Saddington, prosecuting, described how the next break-in occurred at the home of Marie Brown on Arnside in Litherland on October 25 2024. Her husband had left to go to work at about 4pm before she went to bed around midnight.
But Mrs Brown was then woken at roughly 5.45am when the light in her bedroom was turned on. She initially believed that her partner had returned home and was “about to shout at him for waking her up”, but instead discovered Thompson at the foot of her bed.
The defendant, who was appearing in court on the day before his 51st birthday, was said to have been rummaging through drawers at this stage, before the occupant shouted, “What the f***”. At this, he “looked at her and walked out of the room”.
It was subsequently discovered that Thompson, who is of no fixed address, had taken items of costume jewellery, pen drives containing family photographs, and a “significant sum of cash” during an “untidy search” of the house. Mrs Brown would later pick out the responsible culprit during an identity parade.
In a statement that was read to the court on her behalf, she said: “After realising it wasn’t my husband, you can only imagine my shock and horror. To wake up to a stranger in my bedroom, looking through my personal belongings, was petrifying.
“This person glared at me before he left my bedroom. My heart was pounding. Up until the police arrived, I didn’t know whether this person was still in my home. I was under the covers, petrified and in fear. I could physically hear my heart beating.
“It felt like a lifetime. I kept thinking that the person was in my home and might come back into my bedroom with a knife. If he had come over to me, I couldn’t have done anything or fought back. I thought, ‘My God, I’m dead’. I can’t explain what a relief it was when the police turned up.
“My daughter’s bedroom had been ransacked. This person had obviously been in my home for quite a while before I woke up. That makes me feel sick. To burgle people’s houses is one thing, but to do it when people are at home in bed is sickening.”
Mrs Brown reported that Thompson had taken £780 in cash from her property during the break-in, money that she had been given as gifts for her recent birthday and retirement and was planning to spend during an upcoming celebratory holiday. She added: “Safe to say, this holiday was ruined.”
Of the identity parade, Mrs Brown said: “As soon as I saw his image, I knew it was him. It felt horrible seeing his face again. I thought, ‘you’re evil’. This person has changed my life and the way I feel in my home forever. I’m still traumatised.
“Does he realise what type of impact he has on people, burgling their houses when he knows they’re there? Would he like it to happen to his mum or family? Throw away the key for me. People like this don’t care about other people or the impact it has on them.”
Thompson would then go on to target three further addresses on the evening of October 29. One occurred at the home of Ronan McGinty, a doctor at Aintree Hospital, on Coronation Drive in Crosby.
Having returned from his shift at 7pm, he then made himself a meal before eating in his living room between 8.40pm and 9.30pm. Thereafter, returning to the kitchen, he discovered that the back door had been smashed before a burglar had carried out a search in rooms across his house.
This saw Thompson take his wallet and a quantity of cash that had been kept therein. In his statement, Dr McGinty said: “The burglary had a profound psychological impact on me. I was at home by myself at the time. I felt alarmed and vulnerable when I released that someone had broken in without me knowing.”
Thompson then struck at Christine Bailey’s home on nearby Kingswood Drive. She had been visited by her carers before visiting the supermarket on the day in question, subsequently falling asleep at around 6pm.
However, she then awoke at around 10pm to find that her handbag had been emptied on the floor of her spare room. Several other bags had meanwhile been left strewn on the ground after the offender had rifled through them.
Another property on the same street was also targeted the same evening, at a time when the resident had been moved into a care home. Neighbours reported hearing the sound of glass smashing before discovering that entry had been forced via a broken window pane, although it was unclear whether any items had been stolen.
Thompson has a total of 33 previous convictions for 84 offences, including four previous appearances for dwelling burglaries. John Weate, defending, told the court: “He does have a very poor record. Within that record, there are periods of time when it is clear that he can keep himself out of trouble.
“Between 2012 and 2017, there were approximately four years where he kept himself out of trouble. He was released from the 2017 offences in 2021. For a period of just over three years, he kept out of trouble. He is someone who has a history of psychiatric issues in his life and is medicated as a consequence of paranoia.
“He was doing reasonably well. When he came out of custody, he moved to a different area. It was only because of personal circumstances that existed that he came back to this area in 2024. As a consequence of that, he became homeless. It does not need me to spell out what then happened.”
Thompson admitted five counts of burglary and asked for a further two offences of burglary, occurring on Buttermere Gardens on November 4 and Desmond Grove on November 5, to be taken into consideration in sentencing. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a blue Berghaus t-shirt, he was jailed for three years and four months by Recorder Louis Browne KC.
Merseyside Police’s Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke said following the sentencing; “We know that being a victim of burglary can have a massive impact, and I want our communities to feel reassured that we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We act on information we receive and would encourage people to come forward if they know anything about a burglary or the sale of stolen goods where they live.”
