Burgled … by my own neighbour!
Teacher tracks down man who was to blame for her £7,000 burglary – because she recognises his jacket from CCTV clip
‘He looked me in the eyes’
AN ASSISTANT head teacher who suffered a £7,000 burglary discovered her own neighbour was one of the culprits – after recognising his jacket from CCTV of the incident.
Zoe Bloodworth, 32, chanced upon Ross Peters wearing the distinctive black Superdry anorak while walking the streets around her home looking for any of her stolen property that may have been discarded.
Yesterday she spoke of her shock at discovering a member of her own community had betrayed her after Peters, 42, was jailed for the offence.
Miss Bloodworth, who knew Peters through a mutual friend, said: ‘It actually clicked as he was walking towards me. I didn’t let him know I knew [that he had been involved in the burglary] because he is a dangerous man as well.
‘He was wearing the same Superdry jacket. There was no doubt it was him.
‘When we were talking he acted completely like he hadn’t heard anything and said ‘‘let me take your number, if I hear anything I will call you’’. He looked me in the eyes, shook his head and told me he knew nothing. There was no remorse.’
Miss Bloodworth, who works at a local primary school, then reported Peters to the police.
He was jailed at Luton Crown Court on August 8 for 27 months for his part in the burglary, which took place in January last year.
Designer handbags, electronic devices, jewellery and items of sentimental value given to Miss Bloodworth by her late grandmother were stolen in the raid.
Rings, bracelets, necklaces, make-up and clothes were also taken.
Peters was caught on CCTV from f cameras at t a garage across the road spending 45 minutes acting as a look-out.
His unidentified accomplice went inside the house in Kempston, Bedfordshire – but not before leaving a knife by the front door in case he was disturbed.
Zoe and her sister Stephanie, who sometimes stays with her at the house, reported the burglary to police and a day later went out to ask their neighbours if they had seen anything suspicious.
As they continued to walk around the neighbourhood, they chanced upon Peters, who lives down the road from them.
Miss Bloodworth added that when they saw Peters, she explained what had happened and said that some of the items had belonged to her late grandmother.
He merely replied: ‘My nan died too.’
She added: ‘I managed to carry on talking to him through fear. It is amazing what you can do when you need to protect yourself.
‘Although I can see why some people might have been enraged by it. People handle things differently.
‘A few days later he must have worked out that I knew it was him because the police were trying to get hold of him. He kept calling the number I gave him.’
In a victim impact statement read to the court, she described having nightmares about people breaking into her home, adding: ‘I would have described Ross as someone I would have waved to as I drove past him or I would have said “Hi” if he had walked past me in the street.
‘I was in total shock that he has done this to me. I was affected so badly I was unable to concentrate on daily life.’
Peters pleaded guilty to burglary and judge Andrew Bright praised Miss Bloodworth’s victim statement for being so powerful and descriptive.
He added: ‘In my judgment this is a very serious domestic burglary. Those who involve themselves in this type of burglary need to pay the price.’