Mansion of ex-attorney general burgled... as he loaded luggage into taxi
A BurGLAr sneaked into the £6.5million home of Lord Goldsmith when the former attorney general left the door open.
Sean James, a 49-year-old career thief, spotted the lawyer loading luggage into a taxi and took advantage.
But he was left locked inside the Grade II Westminster property when Lord Goldsmith – the government’s top lawyer under Tony Blair – was driven off to catch a flight to New York.
James triggered the alarm when he smashed open the back door to make his escape. Yesterday he pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed for three years at Southwark Crown Court.
Gregor McKinley, prosecuting, said: ‘ When the police arrived there was damage to the door at the back of the property, some glass had been smashed.
‘The police recovered from that door and a wall both fingerprints and DNA which very quickly linked to this defendant on the police DNA database.’ Mr McKinley said James was arrested at his home in Wandsworth the next day, adding: ‘He said that he didn’t know anything about it.’
In a victim impact statement, Lord advice 2003 was Goldsmith, that legal, the said: invasion who ‘Nothing gave of Iraq legal was in actually taken damage but there to the was back considerable door at the rear of the house.
‘When the incident occurred my wife was in New York. She was very upset that someone had been in the house and in our bedroom. It spoilt what was intended to be a pleasant and relaxing trip. We have been very shaken.’
Judge Christopher Hehir said: ‘It is often salutary to listen to such victim he a very articulates common impact very statements. experience clearly reflects of What victims intrusion of burglary and violation.’ – the sense of Turning to the defendant, the judge said: ‘I suspect he is somebody who goes out every day looking for opportunities to commit burglary frankly.’ Defence counsel Darrell EnnisGayle said: ‘He has numerous previous convictions. He has made admissions to being a recreational drug user. He found himself in a significant under significant drug debt pressure. and he was in ‘This custody is somebody for the majority who has of been his relatively young life.’ Lord Goldsmith became attorney general in June 2001 and stepped down on the same day as Mr Blair in June 2007. He is currently head of the European litigation division of Debevoise & Plimpton, a law firm with its headquarters in New York. His home is in a late Georgian terrace built in 1837.