A STALKER who broke into a woman’s home and slept in her bed after she had left the address in fear of him has been jailed for two-and-a-half years. 

David Collison, 32, of no fixed address, was in breach of his bail after smashing a window with bricks to gain entry to the property while the victim hid upstairs, Bradford Crown Court heard today. 

He appeared on a video link to HMP Leeds after earlier pleading guilty to stalking, possession of cocaine and using violence to gain entry into premises. 

Collison was in breach of a two-year suspended sentence imposed the previous month for assault occasioning actual bodily harm on another former partner. 

The court heard that the latest victim had been in a short relationship with him. 

He was heavily in drink when he smashed the kitchen window with two bricks to force his way into her Calderdale home. When he heard sirens, he fled with the door keys. 

Collison was arrested and found to have cocaine on him. 

He was bailed with a condition not to contact the woman. 

The court heard that she was too afraid to live in her house so she left to stay elsewhere. 

Collison returned to the property, broke in through the boarded-up window he had smashed and slept in her bed. She returned to see footprints and the bed unmade.  

He had been seen loitering outside, the court was told. 

He made numerous calls to the woman, including 56 in the early hours of one day. 

In her victim personal statement, she said she had been affected mentally and emotionally. She didn’t want to go out, couldn’t sleep and was constantly looking over her shoulder.  

Collison had two previous convictions for seven offences.  

Holly Clegg said in mitigation that he had taken alcohol and cocaine the evening when he smashed the window with bricks and broke in. 

The woman had locked him out and he rang her repeatedly because he wanted his things back. He wasn’t thinking straight because of the drugs and alcohol. 

Collison had suffered tragic bereavements and made positive steps while in custody to address his substance misuse. 

Judge Sophie McKone said he used violence and damage to get back in when asked to leave the woman’s address and was then arrested with cocaine on him. 

On bail, he was ‘arrogant and controlling'. He broke in again and he used her house as his own. 

He had committed offences against the woman a very short time after receiving the suspended sentence for domestic violence. 

Judge McKone activated it in full, with six months consecutive for the new offences. 

She made a restraining order for five years banning Collison from having any contact with the woman.