A man breached the terms of a restraining order by entering a woman’s house and then assaulting her before going on to commit a burglary a few weeks later.

Adam Hargreaves, 35, was convicted of burglary, breach of a restraining order, and harassment on June 21.

On May 27 at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court, he was given a 12-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months for battery, criminal damage, and section 4 public order, which he breached with these new offences.

Preston Crown Court heard how on May 27 a woman at her home saw Hargreaves walking along an adjacent back street. When he walked by a second time, he shouted something at her which she could not recall.

She then shouted back and an argument broke out between the pair.

The woman then went upstairs but forgot to lock the back door and found Hargreaves in her kitchen when she came back downstairs.

She ran out of the house and hid behind a parked car and called a friend to ask her to call the police.

Hargreaves found the woman and grabbed her by the hair, dragging her along the ground.

When she informed Hargreaves the police were on their way, he released her and fled.

The next month, at around 11.30pm on June 19, police were notified by security at a supermarket that a burglar alarm had been activated.

A member of staff attended and was shown CCTV footage that showed two men, one of who was wearing a face covering, breaking a window with a large slab.

At around 1.30am, CCTV operators alerted officers to a match of the defendant and went on to arrest him.

Further CCTV from inside the shop showed Hargreaves taking a large number of batteries, up to a value of £228, and four bottles of vodka, up to a value of £60.

Mitigating for Hargreaves, Mark Stewart said his client accepted it was likely he would be given an immediate custodial sentence.

He added he knows he needs to spend a period of time where he “effectively dries out” in custody.

Sentencing, Judge Richard Archer said: “You went out and you deliberately breached that restraining order. Within 24 hours of that restraining order being passed, you should have known better than to go anywhere near her address.

“She had to flee her own home, you chased her down, and you physically assaulted her by pulling her hair, and then you took the coward’s way out.

“This is a very serious breach. You continued to chase her, demonstrating an element of persistence, then you went on to assault her.

“Whilst you were waiting for your arrest you broke into a supermarket and stole some vodka and batteries. The way you behaved shows you did not care for the sentence imposed in May. It was no deterrent to you at all. You just carried on doing what you wanted to do.

“You smashed a window of a supermarket and went into that property and stole deliberately high-value items.”

Hargreaves, of Haven Street, Burnley, was given a total sentence of 12 months, with an additional 12 weeks for the activation of the suspended sentence.