A SHOPLIFTER who left a woman terrified after forcing his way into her home and forcibly trying to remove her has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Burnley Crown Court heard how that offence put 25-year-old Adam Luke Barrass in breach of a 16-week suspended prison sentence he received in May for assaulting his own father.

Defending, Tim Storrie said his client’s behaviour was linked to his ADHD and Asperger Syndrome and he had also been let down by the company responsible with helping him to address his alcohol misuse which was a requirement of his suspended sentence order.

Judge Simon Medland QC accepted that mitigation but warned Barrass, of Maple Drive, Oswaldtwistle, that he needed to drastically change his behaviour or he would soon find himself in prison.

Judge Medland also criticised the police for giving Barrass’s co-accused, a woman whose name wasn’t mentioned in court, a conditional caution when she appeared to be the main aggressor.

Prosecuting, Stephen Parker said Barrass’s first offence happened at the home of Alister Duxbury in Belfield Road, Accrington, at around 10.15pm on September 7. Mr Duxbury, whose three children were asleep upstairs, was watching TV downstairs with his wife when their front door flung open.

When Mr Duxbury went to investigate he saw Barrass, who appeared drunk and had a white substance around the corner of his mouth, at the front door with a woman.

Mr Parker said the woman shouted: “This is my house. Get out.”

The court heard how Barrass appeared calmer than the woman and attempting to get her to leave, which she refused to do. Mr Duxbury eventually managed to remove the defendants from his house, although the disturbance had woke up one of his children who had come to the top of the stairs.

Mr Parker said Barrass and his co-defendant then began banging on the door further down the street. She opened the front door as she thought it may have been her son who had forgotten his key, but as soon as she did she was forced back into her property.

The female co-defendant shouted at the victim to ‘get out of my house’.

When the resident told the pair to leave, they grabbed hold of her and tried to thrown her out of her own house.

The female co-defendant then shouted more abuse at her.

The woman living there asked them to leave a further four or five times but they then grabbed her hair and pull her out of the house.

Barrass left the property after the woman had shown him photographs of her children but the female sat on the stairs making threats, forcing the victim to call the police.

Barrass returned to the property and began throwing photographs, while his co-defendant went upstairs ‘looking for something to nick’.

Barrass then said to the woman: “If you want to cause some trouble for us I’ll get my boys down.”

The police then arrived and arrested Barrass and the woman.

While Barrass was on bail for that offence he stole three electric shavers from Blackburn Tesco on October 19, a 32 ins TV from Blackburn Asda on October 22, two crates of clothing and shoes from Blackburn next on October 23 and a £225 jacket from Go Outdoors in Blackburn on October 27.

Barrass, who has eight convictions for 10 offences, pleaded guilty to affray, four counts of theft and breaching a suspended sentence order.

Giving Barrass a 12 months prison sentence which he suspended for 18 months, Judge Medland said:” Just because you have these conditions it doesn’t mean you don’t have to be very careful about how you behave. It is not a free ticket to behave how you want. It is going to require a lot of effort from yourself to keep you on the straight an narrow, and the assistance of the probation service.”

Barrass must also complete an alcohol treatment programme and a rehabilitation activity requirement.