A TERRIFIED Bournemouth man forced to hide from an intruder who smashed into his home in the middle of the night has hit out at the justice system.

Peter Higginson, 42, and his lodger say they were scared to death as they crouched in their loft and made whispered 999 calls as the man ran around the house shouting.

Yet all offender Lewis Fisher, 30, got in punishment for his drunken rampage, in which he broke down two doors, was £200 in compensation and £85 costs.

Mr Higginson, of Beechwood Avenue, said he thought he was dreaming when he was woken by Fisher, of no fixed abode, ringing the doorbell and shouting to be let in at around 4am on March 18.

Mr Higginson, a care home owner, said: “This big guy was shouting and swearing that I was in his house.

“I said I’m sorry, it’s not your house and I won’t let you in. I thought he had gone, then two seconds later he was kicking in the back door.”

He and lodger Katarina Hendy fled to the loft conversion of the five-bedroom home to escape as Fisher bust through the back door and a bolted internal door.

Police arrived and arrested Fisher, who was charged with criminal damage and given a conditional discharge at Bourne-mouth Magistrates Court on April 17.

“We were absolutely scared to death,” Mr Higginson said.

“I didn’t want to have a confrontation with anyone. He scared the hell out of us in our own house.”

Mr Higginson, who estimates a new back door will cost £1,000, said: “Why can he walk down the court and be asked to pay a mere £200?

“Katarina is very frightened and won’t stay here on her own now.

“I think he could at least have got a community order, made to help kids with cancer or sweep the streets.

“This is poor justice.”