By . Shari Miller . PUBLISHED: . 11:46 EST, 5 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:54 EST, 5 April 2013 . A prolific criminal, who broke into a house to steal onion bhajis from the kitchen, was caught after he was found asleep in the garden. John Stalker, 59, from Workington, Cumbria, who has been found guilty of burglary, also stole apple juice and a slice of birthday cake from the home of Marie Mulla, last October. The owner had gone out for the evening with her 16-year-old daughter. Prolific criminal John Stalker, 59, was found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing food from the kitchen at Carlisle Crown Court . After taking the food, Stalker went outside the house in Silloth, Cumbria and fell asleep in a garden chair, where he was later found by Mrs Mulla's son, Lewis. The 18-year-old had noticed food was missing from the fridge and while the birthday cake and apple juice were found beside Stalker, there was no sign of the onion bhajis. Stalker, who is a prolific petty criminal with 98 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for 81 days. Because of the time he has already spent in prison on remand, he will be released almost immediately. Carlisle Crown Court heard the break-in happened on the morning of October 2, after Stalker had been on a night out. After he was abandoned in Carlisle by the two men he had been with, Stalker hitchhiked as far as Abbeytown before walking through the night - and the rain - to Silloth. Following the break-in, Stalker stole the food items before falling asleep in the garden chair and wrapped himself in a canvas canopy. But Stalker was soon discovered by the teenager when he looked outside and saw the intruder asleep. He managed to wake him 'with some difficulty'. Stalker then threatened to kill the youth if he dared follow him over the hedge through which he escaped. Stalker was arrested five hours later in the nearby village of Blitterlees. The court heard Mrs Mulla now feels unsettled and insecure in her own home, and is plagued by thoughts of what might have happened if her son had confronted Stalker inside the house. In mitigation defence advocate Mark Shepherd - who described it as 'the most unsophisticated burglary imaginable' - said Stalker had been so exhausted after his long walk that the police who arrested him had sent him to hospital, because they were so worried about him. His 'sheer exhaustion' meant he could not remember going into the Mullas' house, he said. 'He has no recollection of it, but having been presented with the evidence he accepts he did it,' he said. Passing sentence, Judge Robert Brown told Stalker he shared Mrs Mulla's worries about what might have happened if her son had confronted him inside the house. He said: 'One is left wondering how you would have reacted had Lewis come downstairs at the time you were in the kitchen. 'In view of the threats you made to him when out in the garden, It is at least possible that there might have been a physical altercation.'
John Stalker, 59, found guilty of breaking into house and stealing food .
The prolific offender has 98 previous convictions for petty crime .
Homeowner's teenage son discovered intruder asleep in garden chair .
Stalker's defence called it 'the most unsophisticated burglary imaginable'
By . Shari Miller . PUBLISHED: . 11:46 EST, 5 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:54 EST, 5 April 2013 . A prolific criminal, who broke into a house to steal onion bhajis from the kitchen, was caught after he was found asleep in the garden. John Stalker, 59, from Workington, Cumbria, who has been found guilty of burglary, also stole apple juice and a slice of birthday cake from the home of Marie Mulla, last October. The owner had gone out for the evening with her 16-year-old daughter. Prolific criminal John Stalker, 59, was found guilty of breaking into a house and stealing food from the kitchen at Carlisle Crown Court . After taking the food, Stalker went outside the house in Silloth, Cumbria and fell asleep in a garden chair, where he was later found by Mrs Mulla's son, Lewis. The 18-year-old had noticed food was missing from the fridge and while the birthday cake and apple juice were found beside Stalker, there was no sign of the onion bhajis. Stalker, who is a prolific petty criminal with 98 previous convictions, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for 81 days. Because of the time he has already spent in prison on remand, he will be released almost immediately. Carlisle Crown Court heard the break-in happened on the morning of October 2, after Stalker had been on a night out. After he was abandoned in Carlisle by the two men he had been with, Stalker hitchhiked as far as Abbeytown before walking through the night - and the rain - to Silloth. Following the break-in, Stalker stole the food items before falling asleep in the garden chair and wrapped himself in a canvas canopy. But Stalker was soon discovered by the teenager when he looked outside and saw the intruder asleep. He managed to wake him 'with some difficulty'. Stalker then threatened to kill the youth if he dared follow him over the hedge through which he escaped. Stalker was arrested five hours later in the nearby village of Blitterlees. The court heard Mrs Mulla now feels unsettled and insecure in her own home, and is plagued by thoughts of what might have happened if her son had confronted Stalker inside the house. In mitigation defence advocate Mark Shepherd - who described it as 'the most unsophisticated burglary imaginable' - said Stalker had been so exhausted after his long walk that the police who arrested him had sent him to hospital, because they were so worried about him. His 'sheer exhaustion' meant he could not remember going into the Mullas' house, he said. 'He has no recollection of it, but having been presented with the evidence he accepts he did it,' he said. Passing sentence, Judge Robert Brown told Stalker he shared Mrs Mulla's worries about what might have happened if her son had confronted him inside the house. He said: 'One is left wondering how you would have reacted had Lewis come downstairs at the time you were in the kitchen. 'In view of the threats you made to him when out in the garden, It is at least possible that there might have been a physical altercation.'
daughter. Prolific criminal John Stalker, 59, was found guilty of breaking into a house and asleep in a garden chair, where he was later criminal with 98 previous convictions, pleaded Shepherd - who described it as 'the most unsophisticated burglary imaginable' - said