A 24-year-old man found himself in court this morning after breaking into his girlfriend’s home and taking her phone.

Joshua Boorman, of Southampton, entered the Warwick property at about 3.30am on September 28 after a row with his girlfriend, Sophia Manders.

He was charged with entering the home — owned by Ms Manders’ stepmother, Robin Manders — as a trespasser and lawfully and willfully damaging a screen door, causing $1,580 of damage.

Boorman, who is unemployed, was also charged with stealing Sophia Manders’ Samsung Galaxy cellphone worth $289.

Prosecutor Susan Mulligan told Magistrates’ Court that Robin Manders was woken by the defendant banging on the window. He then gained access to the house and took the phone.

Sophia Manders, a mother of one, said there were mitigating circumstances and pleaded with the court for leniency, saying Boorman had taken the phone because she owed him money but that she now had it back.

She said she was part of the reason this incident had happened and would have given him permission to enter had she been there at the time — they had argued that night and he wanted his things. The couple have been together for about a year.

Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said that since Sophia Manders was claiming “he had a claim or right to” the phone, “there can be no offence”.

Ms Mulligan argued that “he didn’t have the right to break into the home”.

Boorman apologised for his actions.

“I can’t make excuses for what I did,” he told the court. “I want to apologise to her and her family and to my mother. I could’ve did things differently.”

Mr Warner dismissed the second charge of stealing the phone but said Boorman was guilty of trespassing and damaging the door.

Mr Warner ruled that given the circumstances, there would be no penalty aside from ordering Boorman to repay the cost of the damage to Robin Manders by November 3.