‘Crimewave’ burglar terrified pensioners
DRUG FIEND TARGETED SHELTERED ACCOMMODATION
PENSIONERS living in sheltered accommodation – including a 102-year-old woman – told of their horror after being woken by a prolific burglar seeking to fuel his drug habit.
Leon Lewis, 30, has been jailed for seven years and four months after 39 properties across Oldham, Rochdale and north Manchester were broken into. Most of his terrified elderly victims lived in sheltered accommodation.
Lewis had only been out of prison for a few weeks – after being jailed for burgling an 84-year-old woman’s home – when he began his ‘mini-crimewave.’
Between December last year and March, he broke into dozens of homes, prosecutor Christopher Beckwith told Manchester Crown Court.
In one case, he woke a 102-yearold woman at her home in sheltered accommodation at around 3am. She thought it was her carer, but saw Lewis rush past and grab her handbag, which contained her purse, cash and false teeth.
The woman, who lived in Moston, said the burglary, on March 16, was a ‘nightmare’ and that she had been left ‘frightened and upset.’ Days later, on March 19, Lewis struck again at sheltered accommodation in Harpurhey.
A 77-year-old woman, who had saved £700 for a holiday she believed would be her last with her sick husband, woke to find Lewis in her room holding a torch. The woman shouted at him and he left, the court heard. She later realised the £700, which was in a set of drawers, had been taken – as had her purse, which contained £50 cash and her husband’s wallet, which had £10 in it.
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she felt ‘nervous and sick’ following the raid.
“I thought we would be safe in our rooms at night,” she said. “I cannot believe this has happened.
“I hope we can put this awful incident behind us and enjoy what time we have left peacefully.”
Following another break-in, a 67-year-old man sleeping in sheltered accommodation in Rochdale woke to find his gold necklace had been taken from around his neck.
Lewis had removed it while he slept – and had stolen the man’s credit card. He then broke into another home in the same block.
A 70-year-old woman was woken by a loud bang at about 2am before seeing Lewis going through her drawers. She confronted him, but he ignored her. He found a jewellery box and took a wedding ring, a gold bracelet and other items worth around £1,200 in total. Lewis also took the pensioner’s purse, which had £70 inside.
Days later, Lewis smashed a window to break into an 83-yearold woman’s flat in Moston.
Masked and wearing all black, he demanded the woman’s bank card PIN codes before stealing two mobile phones and cash. He later withdrew £800 from the woman’s accounts.
In another incident in Moston, Lewis left an 85-year-old woman terrified after breaking into her home. He left empty-handed after searching the property. Police later identified Lewis and arrested him.
He pleaded guilty to seven counts of burglary and one count of theft. He also asked for 31 offences of burglary to be ‘taken into consideration’ by the judge, which he was not formally charged with.
These included burglaries mostly at sheltered accommodation across north Manchester - as well as in Middleton, Rochdale, Chadderton, Royton and Shaw.
Defending, Mark Friend said Lewis, a father, was ashamed of his crimes. He said Lewis’s relationship with his partner broke down and that he had been left homeless. Lewis, Mr Friend added, ‘fell back into old habits’ and drug addiction. Mr Friend said Lewis, of no fixed address, but originally from Middleton, had a vague recollection of his crimes.