Man charged after drunkenly trying to enter home four miles away from his own

A confused South Tyneside drunk was left out on a limb when he tried to get into a house he mistook for his own four miles away.

Bungling Nicky Purawec, 41, woke the householder by smashing a window at the property in Bradley Avenue, at the Nook, South Shields.

He was so drunk on vodka he thought he was at his abode in Wilberforce Street, a near 10-minute drive away in Jarrow town centre.

When confronted by his shocked victim at 2.30am on Sunday, June 18, Purawec exclaimed, “This is my house”, borough magistrates were told.

But he was wrong, and police were called, leading to his arrest and subsequent guilty plea to a charge of causing £300 of criminal damage.

Prosecutor Ruth Foster said: “The witness will state that he was asleep at around 2.30am when he was woken by loud banging outside.

“He went downstairs and heard glass smashing. He opened his back door and noticed the defendant outside.

“His rear living room window was broken. The defendant turned to the witness and said, ‘This is my house’. He was told, ‘No it’s not’.

“He was told the address and said something that the witness could not make out. He stumbled around to the side of the house.

“Police were called and subsequently arrested the defendant and took him into custody.

“He largely 'no commented' in interview but subsequently has entered guilty pleas. He admitted that he got confused about where he was living.”

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Purawec has 28 previous convictions from 39 offences, including two for the same offence, it was said.

David Forrester, defending, said: “He is in poor health, physically and mentally. He’s battling various addictions.

“I asked him how he did this, and he said that he had been drinking too much and had had some vodka, and had taken opiates.

“He is very empathetic towards this gentleman. It was a genuine mistake.

“I’ve told him he will have to pay compensation and he said that‘s quite alright.”

District Judge Zoe Passfield sentenced Purawec to a 12-month community order and ordered him to pay £300 compensation, £85 court costs and a £26 victim surcharge.