A woman yesterday described to a jury how a man broke into her bedroom and stole the handbag beside her.

The witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she was asleep with her daughter but awoke to see the man's leg disappearing through the window.

Tewolde Selassie, 29, denies burglary at a ground floor apartment in Pembroke on April 28, 2005. He appeared at Supreme Court yesterday before Puisne Judge Charles-Etta Simmons, accused of stealing a handbag containing money, jewellery and personal items.

Senior Crown counsel Carrington Mahoney said the burglary took place at 5.30 a.m. as the woman and her daughter were sleeping.

"A (finger)print was found on the windowsill," he said. "Forensic tests were done and the essential issue in the case is one of identification."

The woman told the jury: "I was just waking up and I saw a leg going out of my window.

"I noticed my handbag was missing. I had it on the floor right beside the bunk bed."

She said the bag contained a small purse, cell phone, debit cards, driving licence, pendant, two pairs of glasses, a watch, diary and $600 in an envelope. After waking up her daughter she saw a man running down the street.

"I woke her up and let her know that someone was in the house, and we called the Police," she said. "I looked out of the window and saw he was running west.

"I saw him looking back and he was smiling, he was turning back and smiling."

But defence lawyer Elizabeth Christopher questioned the woman's evidence, claiming she had only seen the man from the back. Ms Christopher said that in the complainant's Police statements, she had made no previous mention of seeing the man's face.

But the witness said: "When he turned back I saw his face. I only saw the person for a brief moment."

Ms Christopher said: "I'm going to suggest to you that as per the evidence you had in the Magistrates Court and your Police statements, you only ever saw the person who had exited your apartment from the back."

But the woman said: "That is incorrect. I did see him, only when he was running and he was looking back."

She said: "When I woke up, I saw a leg going out of the window. I went to the window and just saw him running down the road."

The jury also heard evidence from two Police officers ¿ Det. Sgt. Alex Hayward and P.c. 952 Paynter, who conducted forensic tests and retrieved two fingerprints from the bedroom window. PC Paynter will return to the witness stand to give evidence when the trial continues this morning.