A former serviceman who tried to burgle footballer Wayne Rooney's mansion while he was playing in a club testimonial match has been jailed for two years and eight months.
Robert McNamara, 25, admitted attempting to enter the Manchester United striker's family home in Prestbury, Cheshire, with intent to steal on 3 August.
Chester Crown Court heard police searching the grounds later found a rucksack with cable ties, a head torch and a balaclava with McNamara's DNA on it.
When officers searched his home six days later, they found a second rucksack containing a ski mask with black tape over it, which the court heard could have been used as a blindfold.
In a victim impact statement Rooney's wife Coleen said the incident had "caused sleepless nights" and made her fearful when her three children played in the garden.
Jo Maxwell, prosecuting, said McNamara, from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, had entered the grounds of the mansion at about 8.30pm, activating the perimeter alarm system.
CCTV showed him trying a door handle, his face covered by a balaclava.
Police described seeing a man acting suspiciously when they arrived at the home but said he got into a car and drove away.
In her statement, Mrs Rooney said she grew anxious when her husband was away and only felt comfortable when a friend or family member was with her.
She said the family, including sons Kai, Klay and Kit, returned home from the testimonial game at Old Trafford to find the house full of police.
"I'm just happy the children were asleep and didn't have to see what was going on," she said.
Taryn Jones Turner, defending, said McNamara had served seven years in the armed forces and had "not found life on Civvy Street as easy as he expected that it would be".
She said since the incident he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was receiving medication, as well as being given support by the British Legion.
Sentencing, Judge Patrick Thompson said: "It's concerning as to what your intent would have been had you gained entrance to the property and come across somebody else."
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