Burglary victim has his house deep-cleaned
A PENSIONER was left feeling so ‘violated’ he deep-cleaned his house after falling victim to a serial burglar.
The 66-year-old victim was sleeping in his upmarket home in Gosforth, Newcastle, when Stephen Clarke struck.
The thief stole the man’s wallet and then used his bank card to make purchases worth more than £100.
As Clarke was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court, the man explained how the break-in had impacted him.
In a victim statement, he said he felt “shock and revulsion” and was so “destabilised” he was unable to go to work that day.
He added: “It’s a very unnerving thought, someone sneaking around in my home stealing my items while I lay asleep in bed.
“I was shocked to find someone had entered my house and felt undermined to the point of being violated.
“I felt it necessary to have the house deep-cleaned.”
The burglary happened on The Grove, Gosforth, on the night of January 30.
The victim realised what had happened when he went downstairs the next morning to find the kitchen light on and the back kitchen door open.
His wallet, containing £100 cash and bank cards, had been stolen, along with “sensitive documents”.
Clarke went on to use the cards to buy goods at Asda in Gosforth and at Regent Centre Metro Station, early the next morning, before also using them to make purchases in Choppington, Northumberland.
The 28-year-old, of Morpeth Close, Guide Post, Ashington, pleaded guilty to burglary and fraud.
He also admitted attempted theft charges in relation to trying, but failing, to get into a Porsche and a Land Rover, on Elmfield Road, Gosforth, on the same night.
The court heard he has 61 previous convictions, including at least six for house burglaries, and had been released on licence at the time.
Jailing him for three years, Judge Tim Gittins said: “It was a high-value property you targeted and you gained access despite the high wall.
“The occupier was in bed. While he was disturbed, there was no confrontation.
“Nonetheless, it has left him feeling unsafe due to his premises being violated in that way and one can understand his concern about your actions.”
The court heard Clarke has serious mental health problems that have resulted in him struggling with issues since he was a teenager and have led to him taking drugs and committing offences regularly.
Judge Gittins told him: “You are not helping yourself by committing crime in this way, ending up in custody, which you know you find difficult to cope with, and committing offences which cause distress and misery to others.”