A mum has told of her terror after finding a complete stranger creeping up her stairs – where her eight-year-old daughter was playing in her bedroom.
Beverley Cooke, 53, was in her kitchen when she heard daughter Maddison scream out “there’s a man in the house!” as she played with a friend.
The mum-of-three had to chase the stranger out of the door – but says he has repeatedly returned and loitered outside, once armed with a screwdriver.
Police say the man wrongly believes the property is his and have advised the family to keep the windows and doors locked at all times.
Mrs Cooke, a part-time office cleaner, now feels like ‘a prisoner in her own home’.
She said: “I was in the kitchen. My husband was at work and had taken our son with him.
“My daughter, Maddison, was upstairs playing and suddenly shouted ‘there’s a man in the house’.
“He was at the end of the stairs and I just shouted, ‘get out of my house’ and he ran out.
“On Tuesday we had family around and I’d locked the doors.
“My daughter told me he was at the door with a pair of keys and what looked like a pocket screwdriver.
“We just told him to go away and we rang the police about him – but he kept coming back.”
The man, aged in his 50s, first entered the property in Hull, East Yorks., last Monday [April 24].
Mrs Cooke, who lives at the property with husband Steve 58, and three children, Maddison, Alfie, 11 and Sophie 20, said she was terrified of what could happen if he gets back into the house.
She said: “I think he needs help, he always seems to be drunk.
“He said ‘get out of the house I’m going to my room’ when he was heading towards my son’s room.
“I should be able to keep my door open while my children play and now we have to keep everything locked.
“He has been aggressive and tried to get into the house. I know he is vulnerable and a drunk but the police are doing nothing.”
Mrs Cooke says she hopes he receives any help he needs.
She added: “The next day me and my husband went out to the market and when we came back he was stood in the driveway, not doing anything, just there.
“He’s not stolen anything or done anything awful but you’re still scared. A few times he’s drunk and you just imagine the worst case scenario of what would happen if he broke into the house drunk and my little grandson was there.
“I feel like maybe he needs to be in a home where there is a warden or someone to look after him. He’s clearly vulnerable and should get help that will make everyone safer.”
Sergeant Matt Jarvis from the Community Policing Team said: “This is a sad situation for all concerned and I have sympathy for the family involved and understand why they find it so upsetting.
“From our enquiries, it is clear that the man involved hasn’t entered the property with any criminal intent and is entering in the belief it is his home. To support the family affected we have provided advice on security and are keeping them informed in our on-going response to their concerns.”
