A "foolish" vandal hurled a rock through a a living room window while the occupant was asleep in bed.
Andrew Nolan woke the terrified victim when he smashed the glass of the front window during the middle of the night.
A court heard that the 33-year-old then ran from the seen but was later identified from the man's home security CCTV system and arrested.
And now he's been fined and ordered to pay compensation after pleading guilty to one count of criminal damage during a hearing at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court.
Prosecutor, James Long, said the victim was asleep in his home on Dilston Grange, in Wallsend, in the early hours of the morning on June 27 this year.
Mr Long continued: "It's 2am and the victim was at home asleep in bed when he hears a loud bang and goes downstairs and sees two or three panels in the front living room window have been smashed.
"He found a large grey stone on his living room floor. He looks out the window and can't see anybody but CCTV at the property shows a male come to the property with something in his hand and throwing it at the property."
The court heard that Nolan, of South Terrace, Wallsend, was identified from the camera footage and arrested but made no comment to questions put to him in interview.
Mark Harrison, defending, said Nolan, who has an extensive record, had acted "foolishly".
The solicitor added: "Mr Nolan had been socialising with a friend. His friend had explained about the difficulties he was having with the occupant of the address.
"In a foolish but well-meant intervention on his friend's behalf, Mr Nolan then took it upon himself to go and smash the window and he acknowledges that was a really stupid and unlawful thing to do."
Magistrates fined Nolan £40 and ordered him to pay £280 compensation and £85 costs.
