An intruder has been warned he faces a jail sentence after he broke into a house and terrified a seven-year-old boy.

Sean Day walked through the back door of the cottage at Pinn, near Sidmouth, and the boy found him standing in the living room holding a kitchen knife.

The owner of the house was asleep on a sofa just feet away and Day only fled after the boy called for help from his older brother.

Day, aged 35, of Lock Close, Sidmouth, admitted burglary, taking a car without consent, and resisting arrest.

His case at Exeter Crown Court was adjourned for an updated probation report but he was warned by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, that an immediate jail sentence is almost inevitable.

He said: “This is a serious case which is almost certain to result in immediate custody. This man went into someone’s house late in the evening when the householder was asleep on a sofa.

“The defendant armed himself with a kitchen knife with a six or seven inch blade. A child of seven saw him standing at the end of the sofa with the knife in his hand.

“He called his older brother who came downstairs and at that point the defendant fortunately had the good sense to leave. He left the kitchen knife near the back door but took a mobile phone, an e-cigarette and a couple of pounds cash.

“This was a violent dwelling house burglary, which according to the sentencing guidelines would merit two to six years.”

Mr Rupert Taylor, defending, said a psychiatric report showed Day was unwell at the time but has since got better. He said the probation service may be able to suggest an alternative to custody in the light of the report.