Burglars who steal in at night facing longer prison terms

BURGLARS who break into people’s homes while they are sleeping should receive longer jail sentences, according to official new guidelines.

Judges and magistrates have been told by the sentencing council that they should treat night-time burglary as an “aggravating” factor that merits a longer prison term. The maximum term for burglary is 14 years, though perpetrators often receive lighter sentences if there are no aggravating factors.

Sentencing guidelines stipulate that the presence or return of a victim during a burglary should be treated as a “category 1” harm that attracts a sentence of at least three to six years in jail.

Other aggravating factors that would bring tougher penalties include burglaries when a child is in the house or returns home, the targeting of vulnerable people, such as pensioners, or if the thieves operate as part of a gang.

They will also face longer sentences if victims feel compelled to leave the property as a result of the burglary, try to prevent the victim reporting the crime or are under the influence of drugs or drink during the break in.

The guidelines, which were updated to give more recognition to the emtional impact of the crime on victims, also say that judges must jail offenders for at least three years for a third such offence unless there are “particular circumstances” that would make it “unjust”.

Judge Rebecca Crane, a member of the sentencing council, said: “Burglary has a big impact. [It is] often so much more than a theft of property, especially when it occurs in a victim’s home, where they are entitled to feel safe.”