SINGLE mum Sadie Dobson has told of her children’s fear after disturbing a burglar in their house.

Miss Dobson, 30, said the incident had a lasting impact on her two children, now aged 13 and seven, who still feel nervous in their own home.

But she is happy with the two- and-a-half year sentence handed to James Read and hopes he will come out of prison a reformed character.

Miss Dobson, of Brownlow Street, Weymouth, works as a nurse at a Young Offender Institution and said her experiences there had helped her cope with the ordeal.

She said: “I know it’s really tragic for someone to become hardened to it but I’ve realised it wasn’t a personal attack on me and my family – it’s just one of those things that happens a lot close to Christmas.

“But the children don’t see it that way. My son still talks about it frequently. Sometimes if we’ve been out and it’s dark he won’t go in the house first and sometimes he doesn’t want to go to bed with the door closed in case someone comes in.

“It’s still a bit raw for him, but he is getting there.

“Initially there were a few sleepless nights with my daughter, but as time has gone on she has calmed down a bit.”

Miss Dobson believes Read’s punishment fits his crimes. “Given there were other crimes, I think his sentence is completely suitable,” she said. “I would hope he is rehabilitated while in prison – working in a prison myself I know there’s a lot of help he will be offered. Obviously he’s going there for disciplinary purposes and hopefully he will come out a reformed character.”

Miss Dobson had returned home after picking her children up from school and arrived to find the lights on.

She said: “I assumed my friend had come round to visit because he has a key to the house.

“I saw someone walking towards the kitchen and assumed it was my friend going to put the kettle on but in a matter of seconds I thought ‘that’s not him’. I went after him and shouted at him.”

The family managed to recover much of what was stolen – including Christmas presents – because Read left a suitcase in the back garden while trying to get away.

Miss Dobson added: “I used to leave the upstairs window open but now I make sure everything is closed and double check it.”