STABBED BURGLAR PREYED ON ELDERLY

Dead intruder blamed for cutting short life of another OAP victim

A SERIAL burglar stabbed to death during a raid was wanted for another cowardly attack on a pensioner’s home, it emerged last night.

Henry Vincent had been jailed at least twice previously for a catalogue of fraud offences against the elderly. He died in a scuffle after threatening 78-year-old Richard OsbornBrooks with a screwdriver. As

HENRY Vincent’s family fleeced their elderly victims out of more than £1million.

The burglar, his father and his uncles left many pensioners traumatised and penniless.

Some frail victims were even frogmarched to banks where they were forced to withdraw cash.

Elderly householders were told their homes were about to fall down after being shown rotten pieces of wood the thieves had brought with them. One 80-yearold woman was persuaded to sign her house over to the gang after they found out she had no relatives.

Another victim paid out all his life savings for work on his chimney which was never done.

The heartless conmen even sent one victim a postcard from Ibiza where they had gone on holiday. Details of the crime spree emerged at Croydon Crown Court in 2003. Drug addict Vincent, then 23, appeared in the dock with his father, also called Henry and his five uncles.

Judge Simon Pratt told the seven men: “This is by a long way the worst case of bogus builders I have ever come across.

“It is clear the family business was devoted to preying upon and fleecing elderly, vulnerable victims of as much as you could lay your hands on.” Vincent and his family lived in council houses around St Mary Cray, Kent, but drove expensive cars including BMWs and Mercedes.

Police found £27,000 stashed in a pot during a raid.

The family admitted fraud and were jailed for a total of 30 years. Vincent got four-and-a-half years.

In 2009 he was jailed for six years for fraud after tricking an 81-year-old out of £72,000 for bogus roof repairs.