Neighbour’s security system helps catch man who raided home of sleeping woman, 79
MOTION SENSOR ACTIVATED AS BURGLAR WENT TO HIDE HAUL
A BURGLAR who broke into a 79-yearold woman’s home while she was sleeping was caught thanks to her neighbour’s hi-tech security system.
Darren Bennett grabbed a knife from the elderly woman’s shed and used it to Glen Parva, had written to the female force her back door open before he had been with, apologising for the searching her kitchen and stealing fact he had got her arrested and telling three handbags containing more than her the police had no evidence to con£500 in cash. vict him.
As he made his way across LutterHe wrote: “No forensics, no case, worth Road, in Glen Parva, to hide his innit?” haul in a hedge at 2am on May 23, he Helen Johnson, representing Bentriggered a motion detector. nett, said her client had only burgled a
A 66-year-old woman living across home once before and that was 20 the street looked at the CCTV footage years ago. on her mobile phone and spotted She added he had only been released 39-year-old Bennett, who was wearing from prison in March and had struga distinctive tracksuit with reflective gled to get benefit payments due to the patches. lockdown, or any psychological help
She called the police and within for his “turbulent” personality. three hours Bennett had She said: “He has struggled been spotted in Sturdee to accept his involvement Road, Eyres Monsell, in an offence that Leicester, by a police involves a dwelling. He patrol. is extremely ashamed
He was walking of himself. with a female and a “The occupier was dog and he was still present but wasn’t wearing the same aware of the burreflective clothing. glary.”
The female, who In a victim impact was also arrested but statement, the 79-yearnot charged, was carryold victim said she was ing a JD Sports bag construggling to feel safe in her taining a pair of gloves. The home after the break-in. gloves, and the knife that was left in the Judge Timothy Spencer, jailing Benvictim’s back garden, had Bennett’s nett for 22 months, said: “I’m told DNA on them. you’re deeply ashamed and ought to
The handbags and the cash were be.“recovered from the hedge. You have quite an extensive record
Bennett denied the burglary during but you’re far from the most serious his police interview and had been due criminal. This is a serious burglary in to stand trial after pleading not guilty to the small hours of the morning. The burglary. 79-year-old woman was in her own
But on Monday, at Leicester Crown home and the impact upon her is not Court, he changed his plea to guilty. difficult to imagine. She is scared for
The court heard that while he was in her safety and feels it will take a long jail, Bennett, of Hillsborough Close, time to recover.”
The victim is scared for her safety and feels it will take a long time to recover
Judge Timothy Spencer