A Southampton resident yesterday told Magistrates' Court of his family's trauma after their home was broken into and ransacked by a teenager.

Robert Brian Holdipp, 17, pleaded guilty to entering Lawrence Lamb's home as a trespasser and taking a car without consent.

Mr Lamb said his 12-year-old daughter still had a hard time feeling safe in the home as a result of the August burglary.

"She won't even go down the hall by herself," he said. "We now have a wonderful security system in our house because that was the only way I could ensure my wife and kids' safety and to give them some kind of comfort."

Mr Lamb said his wife, two children and dog were on an outing, and he was at work when the burglary took place this summer.

The family came home to find the window in the kitchen had been broken and all their window screens had been slashed. Items valuing $2,550 had been taken from the rooms around the house, Mr Lamb said.

Holdipp, a CedarBridge Academy student, appeared before Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner yesterday to be sentenced for the offence.

The Harmony Close, Paget, resident said: "It is stupid and out of character and I apologise to the courts and to Mr Lamb for my involvement. It won't happen again if I had another chance to prove myself."

The court heard that Holdipp grew up in a religious family. Minister Ruby Smith, of New Testament Church of God, spoke on behalf of the teen.

His father, Robert Holdipp Sr also spoke in his son's defence: "We learnt some things about my son over the summer. He grew up in a Christian family however we know he could be swayed like anyone else [by negative influences]. This summer it hit home to us with our son living under our roof and it became more real."

Mr Holdipp Sr said his son was involved in Government's youth empowerment programme, Mirrors, at the time of the offence. The programme taught Holdipp to make better decisions, but he needed "additional support" from Bermuda Youth Counselling Services, his father admitted.

"I am of the opinion that this [offence] has brought him back to centre. The change in my son from this situation is like night and day, and I am not saying this because I am his father.

"I am saying this because we live in this house with him and this is the son that we raised and knew."

Mr. Warner described it as a serious offence where victims were "violated" and had property stolen.

"It continues to bother them and they need closure," he said, adding he was "minded" to deal with the matter by way of probationary period.

He adjourned the case to allow for further mitigation by lawyer Kenneth Savoury and ordered Holdipp to return for sentencing on December 2.