Locked out of own house

breaching order.

This order has been in place since May last year and prohibits Bickerstaff from communicating with his ex or going within 100 metres of her Birkby home.

On March 18 she called police to report that Bickerstaff was at the property and had locked her out.

Prosecutor Natalie Chapman told magistrates in Huddersfield: “Officers attended and forced entry, where the defendant was found asleep in the upstairs bedroom.

“He admitted breaching the order. He said that he recalled being sent some paperwork but not the exact wording.”

In mitigation Zara Begum explained that Bickerstaff, who works as a street cleaner for Kirklees Council, had been in hospital having been diagnosed with pneumonia.

She said: “He was discharged and the complainant had offered to allow him to sleep at her house because he had no heating at his flat.

“His gas fire had been broken since October and his landlord bought him a portable heater but had not fixed the heating.

“There was also extensive renovation work being done at his block of flats at the time.

“Given his health the complainant had allowed him to stay at her address.

“On the night she had gone out and left the keys the defendant had locked the door and gone to bed and she couldn’t get back in.

“She called police, they attended and he was found asleep in bed.

“There were exceptional circumstances given his poor health and she was quite complicit in the breach.”

Bickerstaff, of Imperial Road in Edgerton, was fined £200 and told to pay £85 court costs plus £30 victim surcharge.