Colin Berry returned through the head of space after breaking a glass door sign, Carlisle Crown Court said.
Berry, 28, had already stolen and crushed a pizza delivery car before seeking to plunder the space with two adults and a seven-year-old woman inside.
He was jailed for a year after admitting two burglary charges.
Berry gave the impression of “sorry” when he attempted to enter Lamplugh’s space on the night of January 31, as the court heard.
He used a brick to break the door and asked the circle of relatives to hand over his car keys as he tried to enter the house.
The owner used a package rack to fend off Berry, he heard.
The circle of relatives remained “shocked and frantic,” prosecutors said.
The man’s spouse later spoke of being a “nervous disaster” and strengthening security to make assets “like Fort Knox,” the court heard.
Berry then burgled a commercial premises in Rowrah and made a failed bid to remove goods before stealing an Iveco truck from the site.
In a letter to his victims, Berry wrote, “I need you to know that I’m sorry.”
Registrar Eric Lamb said the break-in had had a “devastating” effect on the occupants and had “endangered the total circle of relatives.”
Berry, of Shore Road in Salterbeck, Workington, also admitted the annoying grip of any of the vehicles, which were disqualified and uninsured, and received a 12-month driving ban.
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