Terrified Woman Wakes to Find Burglar at Foot of Her Bed: ‘I Thought I Was Dead’

It was a moment that’ll haunt her forever. A woman from Litherland was jolted awake at nearly 6am, expecting to see her husband. Instead, she came face-to-face with a complete stranger glaring at her from the end of her bed.

“I thought, ‘My God, I’m dead,’” she later told the court.

The man responsible was Ian Thompson, a 50-year-old serial burglar with a rap sheet as long as your arm. He was sentenced this week at Liverpool Crown Court to three years and four months in prison after admitting five burglaries and asking for two more to be taken into account.

On the night of the break-in, Marie Brown had gone to bed after midnight, thinking she was alone and safe. But she woke to find Thompson rummaging through drawers in her bedroom. Initially thinking it was her husband returning from work, she was instead met with the horrifying realisation that a complete stranger had broken in while she slept.

“What the f***,” she shouted, as Thompson calmly looked at her and walked out of the room.

Marie remained frozen under the duvet, heart racing, not knowing if the intruder was still in her home. He had stolen £780 in cash—birthday and retirement gifts—along with jewellery, pen drives full of family photos, and her sense of security.

“This person glared at me before he left my bedroom. My heart was pounding. I could physically hear it beating,” she said. “It felt like a lifetime.”

She later picked him out in an identity parade. “As soon as I saw his image, I knew it was him. I thought, ‘You’re evil.’ He’s changed my life forever.”

Thompson, of no fixed address, didn’t stop there. Just days before, he had smashed into another home in Crosby, stealing sweets, gin and a handbag from a couple who’d only popped out for a few hours.

He then went on a spree. On 29 October, he broke into the home of Dr Ronan McGinty, a doctor at Aintree Hospital, while the medic was in his own living room having dinner. He only realised someone had been in when he returned to the kitchen and found his back door smashed and wallet gone.

“The burglary had a profound psychological impact on me,” said Dr McGinty. “I felt alarmed and vulnerable.”

That same evening, Thompson raided the home of Christine Bailey on Kingswood Drive while she slept. Her handbag and belongings were scattered across the floor. Another house on the same street—belonging to a resident who had recently moved to a care home—was also hit.

All of this came after Thompson had already racked up 33 previous convictions, including four for similar break-ins. His lawyer, John Weate, said Thompson had “a history of psychiatric issues” and had kept out of trouble for several years until he became homeless in 2024.

Thompson appeared in court via video link from HMP Liverpool, wearing a blue Berghaus t-shirt. He turns 51 this week.

Detective Inspector Kevin O’Rourke of Merseyside Police said: “We know that being a victim of burglary can have a massive impact. We act on information we receive and urge people to come forward if they know anything about burglaries or stolen goods in their area.”

Despite his sentencing, the memory of that morning still lingers with Marie Brown. “People like this don’t care about the damage they cause,” she said. “Throw away the key for me.”