‘Honeytrap’ women jailed over burglary
Man lured into first date when house was raided
TWO women who created a ‘honey trap’ to lure a man into a first date, during which time his house was burgled, have been jailed.
According to Met Police, one of the women posed as the victim’s date while her associate helped in the burglary of his home in Hayes.
At around 7.45pm on May 12, Sarah Ireland, 26, of Webbs Road, Hayes, and Amy Moffatt, 25, of Vandrough Crescent, Northolt, were filling their car with petrol at Sainsbury’s filling station in Lombardy Retail Park, Hayes, when they spotted the man, aged in his 40s, at an adjacent pump.
Moffatt spoke to him as she was standing beside the pump and asked for his phone number, which he gave her.
During this time Ireland reportedly remained in the driver’s seat of the car, watching them.
Both cars then left the petrol station and a short time later Moffatt sent a text to the victim to agree a meeting spot later that evening.
At 9pm, Moffatt and the man met at Botwell Crescent and they walked together to a nearby pub.
During the walk the victim told Moffatt where he lived.
Within minutes Ireland attended the address in Hayes in the company of a male associate.
They forced the front door open and found a teenage boy. They told him that they were searching for someone.
During this time, Ireland kept the boy talking while the male suspect searched the upstairs bedrooms and stole personal belongings and jewellery.
The pair left moments after and the boy called his mother who returned home and immediately called police.
She also called her male tenant who was at the pub with Moffatt. He left and immediately returned home.
Police from Hillingdon Burglary Squad reportedly found that the male victim told of his uncertainty about the woman he met that night, after a hunch he had about her behaviour and the events at the house.
From his accounts, police found CCTV evidence from the petrol station which led to the identification of a black Vauxhall Astra, which Moffatt and Ireland had been using.
Detailed enquiries then led to the location of both women who were arrested in late May.
Both women appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on November 12, when they were each sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for burglary after pleading guilty earlier this year.
Police confirmed that despite extensive efforts the male suspect remains outstanding.
Det Con Okiki Okunola, of Hillingdon’s Burglary Squad, said: “Both women played on the vulnerability of a boy in his own home and the trust of a man who thought Moffatt was a genuine love interest.
“The speed both women worked to that evening clearly demonstrates how calculated and heartless they were.
“Tackling burglary remains a focus point for our policing team and a number of proactive, intelligence-led operations are under way to detect and prevent the seasonal rise in burglaries associated with longer and darker nights.
“We have already seen a significant reduction in residential burglary and this work will continue well into the New Year and beyond.”