Burglar jailed for 40 months after he stabbed a householder during frightening raid on home

A BURGLAR has been jailed for 40 months after stabbing a householder during an "extremely frightening" raid on his home.

A shocked resident came back after a night out to discover a balaclava-clad Craig Stoneham crouching beside an armchair.

A fight broke out as Stoneham, of Gas Road, March, tried to escape, leaving one householder with two bloody stab wounds above the waist.

But his victims had the last laugh as they managed to wrench the mask off his face and provide a DNA sample which linked him to the crime.

The aggravated burglary occurred on February 19 at a house in Westbury, Wiltshire. At approximately 3am a member of the household came home after a night out to find Stoneham crouching beside an armchair in the lounge.

As he attempted to get hold of Stoneham, the householder's father came to assist him.

During the struggle, the father was stabbed twice just above the waist but fortunately did not sustain serious injuries.

In the confusion that followed, Stoneham managed to escape through the rear door of the house but not before his balaclava was removed.

PC Alex Curtis said: "The burglary was extremely frightening for the family, one of whom was injured during the struggle that ensued.

"Fortunately he was not seriously hurt. Due to the actions of the family we were able to obtain a full DNA profile linking Stoneham to the offence."

Once caught red handed, Stoneham asked prosecutors to take into account another burglary the night before.

On that occasion the 28-year-old took a laptop computer, two mobile phones, a remote control unit and �80 cash before fleeing.

He has now been jailed for four years and four months for the offences on February 18 and February 19, which both took place in the West Country.