A man who broke into a family home in Western Australia's Midwest and climbed a young girl's loft-style bed has been sentenced to more than two years jail.
Jamie Phillip Mongoo appeared in the Geraldton Magistrates Court, north of Perth, on Monday, where he was sentenced for home burglary, assault, stealing, trespassing and fraud.
The court was told the father of five was released from custody about a month before the offending began during May last year.
Defence counsel Eva Svanberg said Mongoo started using drugs and alcohol "almost immediately" after he left prison and had been intoxicated when he entered a Geraldton home through an unlocked door on June 1.
The court heard Mongoo climbed the ladder of a loft-style bed and started rubbing the back of an eight-year-old girl inside.
She asked Mongoo who he was and told him to stop because he was scaring her.
Mongoo climbed down the ladder but then went back to the girl, who called for her mother to come help.
Ms Svanberg said Mongoo had been trying to get the child back to sleep by rubbing her back and had no "sinister" intentions.
On another occasion, Mongoo broke into his estranged sibling's Waggrakine home where two children also lived.
He stole a pink hooded jumper, which he was wearing when he was arrested.
In the days leading up to the home burglaries, Mongoo stole a number of credit cards that he used to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of groceries, alcohol, cigarettes and other items.
Ms Svanberg said Mongoo had expressed remorse for his actions, particularly for frightening the young girl.
She said Mongoo was close to completing a bridging course through Curtin University and wanted to "get his life together" after leaving custody.
He was given two years and eight months' jail, with the sentence backdated to June last year.
