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Heavily-pregnant woman was spat at by burglar trying to escape from her home

The 'cowardly' prolific thief also admitted 'shocking, cruel' offences assaulting his girlfriend

[Grimsby Crown and County Court]

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Grimsby Crown and County Court(Image: Donna Clifford/GrimsbyLive)

A prolific burglar spat at a heavily-pregnant woman when she discovered him in her home escaping with a haul of goods. Humberside Police responded to the burglary in Grimsby as Joe Norman barricaded himself in the home.

Prosecuting at Grimsby Crown Court, Billy Torbett said it was one of three burglaries Norman had committed. Norman, 37, of no fixed address, admitted the burglaries and an offence of fraud and two offences of assault causing actual bodily harm. He also admitted an offence of assault by beating.

The prosecutor listed the offences which began on April 15 at 3pm when he attended at his girlfriend's home demanding money. The victim suffered a facial injury when he struck her on the face as she called Norman's mother.

On May 12, he called at her address again between 6pm and 6.45pm and again asked for money. Mr Torbett said the woman told Norman their relationship was over. He grabbed her and squirted a tube of barbecue sauce over her followed by hot water from a kettle. Norman grabbed her hair and banged her head against a wall. A clump of hair came away in his hand due to the force, the prosecutor said.

The woman walked out of the property towards Grimsby Police Station. Norman followed her and he was arrested at the police station.

While on bail, Norman went to a property in Brighowgate on June 8. He climbed in a window around 12.30pm and stole a wallet with 200 cash and bank cards. One of the cards was used at a shop in Wellowgate where he spent a total of 18 on goods.

Norman returned to the same property on July 1 but this time smashed a window to gain entry around midday. This time he stole a military knife, medication and a watch. The owner returned around 6.45pm and looked at CCTV of the burglary and shared it with police.

On July 8, an alert neighbour spotted a burglar entering a home on Reporto Avenue, Grimsby, through a bathroom window at around 7.30pm. The homeowner was contacted and she attended with her father.

Mr Torbett said she was heavily pregnant. She found Norman in the home wearing her partner's Nike Jordan trainers valued at 200 which he had swapped for his own shoes. He also took a gold necklace, rings and cash.

Police attended swiftly and tried to access the home but Norman was on the other side of the door preventing officers getting in. The burglar spat at the woman and her father as she tried to film him in her home.

He was arrested and taken to Birchin Way custody suite where he admitted the offences and had acted "out of necessity to fund his crippling drug habit."

The woman told in a victim impact statement she is now anxious about security at her home and has bought new CCTV cameras. "I don't feel safe to go home alone. Security is one of the most important things when pregnant. He has made me feel unsafe. He not only burgled my home, he spat at me. I don't know how he can stoop so low," she said.

Norman had 20 convictions for 37 offences, many of them for theft and burglary. He was also on a suspended sentence order from court for interfering with a motor vehicle in March this year. He admitted he was in breach of that order.

For Norman, Harry Bradford said his addiction started when he was 15 years old and his life had been marked by instability and substance misuse. He said he apologised for his offending. He added custody was "exactly what he needed" to get the support to get off drugs.

He said the longest his client had been abstinent from drugs throughout his life was nine days. Sentencing Norman, Recorder Geraldine Kelly KC said his behaviour towards his girlfriend was "shocking, cruel and cowardly, when she had only ever tried to help".

She jailed Norman for a total of four years and eight-and-a-half months.

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