The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Prolific burglAr stole GreAt WAr memento
City will be safer this Christmas after thief gets lengthy prison sentence
Homes across Peterborough will be safer this Christmas after one of the city’s worst ever burglars was locked up for seven years. Nathan Fountain was describedashaving“cutaswathe through the lives of people in thiscity” afterstealing£13,500 of jewellery, including a First World War memento passed downbyavictim’sgrandfather who experienced the horrors of the trenches.
The victim will now be without the memento on Armistice Day tomorrow, and Remembrance Sunday because Fountain (37) of nofixed abode has not returned the items which he stole.
The burglar, who has 15 previous convictions for 29 offences, bungled and was caught after leaving blood behind in one of the properties he raided. According to prosecutorMichaelProcter“hedecidedtocarryonasheknewhe would be caught.”
Fountain was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday after burgling properties in Eastfield Road and Livermore Green in Werrington in September. At the firsthome, hetooktwomobile phones, a tablet, a purse anda bicyclewhichalltotalled£360.
At the second, he stole an iMac computer, digital camera, the £13,500 of jewellery and additional items worth more than £2,000.
Accordingtoavictimstatement read out in court, the jewellery was sentimental, buttherewasnodescriptionof what the “war memento” was.
Both victims said they no longer felt safe in their homes any more.
Reading one of the victim statements, Mr Procter said: “His family feel really vulnerable and he describes himself as being traumatised, vulnerable and physically sick.”
Another victim he said: “Describes himself as feeling violatedknowingsomeonehas beeninhishousewithoutpermission. Hesaid‘it will take us a lot of time get over it’ and expresses the wish that the person responsible be punished. That will bring an end to the nightmare.”
Diane Mundill, defending, said: “Mr Fountain is deeply regretful for what he has done. He has shown remorse with the guilty plea.” She added: “He was stuck in his [drug] addiction. Hewasunabletoget himself out of it andheresorted to doing these offences.”
Judge Sean Enright, sentencing, said: “Those statements of financial loss do not do justice to the distress you have caused.
“You have cut a swathe through the lives of people in this city, causing a great deal of distress and pain.”
Fountain was jailed for the two burglaries, with 21 other offencestakenintoconsideration. Detective Constable Lee Lombardosaid:“Fountainwas a prolific offender and homes across Peterborough will now be safer with him behind bars.”
Fountain has a history of burglaries, and in March 2010 he was sentenced to three years in jail. One of his 11 burglaries was a raid on his ill nextdoorneighbour’shome on Christmas Day to feed his heroin habit.