Jade Dale Berghofer sentenced at Dalby Magistrates Court after mistaking an elderly woman’s home for his own

A young man who took a drunken detour on his way home from the pub wound up breaking into an elderly woman’s home, before claiming he didn’t realise he was at the wrong address. See how it unfolded.

An elderly Dalby woman received a huge scare in the middle of the night when she realised an unknown man was at her back door, trying to break in after he spent the night drinking.

Jade Dale Berghofer appeared at Dalby Magistrates Court on June 6 after he broke into a woman’s home in the early hours of March 26.

Police prosecutor Derek Brady said the 23-year-old went through the front gate of the Wood St residence and banged on the back door after big night at the Criterion Hotel, located on the opposite side of Myall Creek.

“(When they arrived) police observed an elderly female leaning out of the window highly distressed saying ‘he’s inside the house, out the back’,” Sergeant Brady said.

The court was told the father also kicked the back door, pulling it with such force it “popped open”, broke a cat flap and threw backyard furniture around.

Jade Dale Berghofer was sentenced at Dalby Magistrates Court after he drunkenly mistook an elderly woman's home as his own and broke in the back door. Picture: Facebook

Defence lawyer Julia Molloy said her client was “very drunk” and thought he was at a different address.

“He doesn’t even know where he thought he was, he doesn’t recall being there,” she said.

“He is remorseful and didn’t go anywhere with the intent of scaring anyone.”

The court was told the man’s address was in the complete opposite direction of the elderly woman’s home.

Acting magistrate Andrew Walker acknowledged the level of intoxication the man was at during the offence.

“You’ve just had too much (to drink),” he said.

“You need to be setting a better example for your kids.”

Berghofer pleaded guilty to one count of wilful damage and unlawfully entering a dwelling and was fined $550, with a conviction recorded.