A burglar was caught when a family returned from vacation to find him asleep on their couch, report says

• A family returned home from vacation to find a burglar asleep on their couch.
• The burglar did not steal anything but had helped himself to food and alcohol.

A burglar was caught after a family returned from vacation to Newcastle, England, to find him asleep on their couch, a report says.

While Christopher West, 38, did not steal anything, he had helped himself to food and alcohol and had been smoking in the house, British outlet ITV reported.

When the family returned from their vacation in October, the child spotted a blue cigarette lighter on the ground of their property, which didn't belong to them.

The woman of the family then peeked through the living room window and saw West asleep on the sofa, prosecutor Joe Hedworth said, per ITV.

The male member of the family then entered the house, forcibly woke him up, and kicked him out.

When asked how he had entered the property, he claimed a Chinese woman had given him entry.

The women of the house said that the burglary had affected the child's mental state, ITV reported.

"I now have the feeling our safe place is now not safe. We work hard for what we've got, and to have someone intrude in our home is terrifying," she said.

West was arrested, pleaded guilty to burglary, and sentenced to 20 months suspended for two years, according to the report, along with a nine-month alcohol treatment requirement and rehabilitation.

The Newcastle court heard that alcohol had "ravaged" West's life and that he is "remorseful" and "mortified" by his behavior, per ITV.