A thief who targeted vulnerable elderly women and stole their wedding rings, bank cards and family photographs in a string of sickening distraction burglaries has been locked up for three years.
Judge Michael Dudley told 30-year-old Jamie Haworth at Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday that his crimes were “of the most evil kind”.
Haworth, of no fixed address, was caught out after police found his DNA on a drinks can one of his victims had kindly offered him.
The court heard how he would knock on pensioners’ doors asking for work and then pillage their homes once inside.
Mr Mark Reece, prosecuting, said the robberies took place over a six-month spell in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, and Haworth’s victims ranged from 79 to 86.
Mr Reece said Haworth would pose as a gardener or handyman, ask to use the toilet and then steal items including cash, jewellery, house keys and purses containing precious family photographs.
The court also heard that last November Haworth stole a purse containing bank cards and their pin numbers and withdrew a total of £283.
Mr Reece said: “On August 8, he stole goods totalling £1,150 – including the lady’s late husband’s wedding ring – but his DNA was taken from a can of Coke he had been given to drink and that was able to confirm it was he who had been there.”
Mr Harbinder Lally, defending, said Haworth had committed the crimes to pay off his loan sharks and was extremely remorseful.
Haworth had pleaded to three counts of burglary.
Judge Dudley told him: “You have a poor record, largely for burglary, and the type of burglaries you carried out for six months or so are of the most evil kind because they target elderly women.
“You targeted women living alone who are unfortunately somewhat trusting of people who come to their door offering to do work.
“The impact on these women is very often huge, they have difficulty settling down in their own homes again. Elderly women need to be protected from people like you who make up excuses to get into their homes.”
By Elizabeth Joyce
5 Comments
give him the cat o nine tails!!!!
let him hang!
no jail term will ever replace precious memories-perhaps a little restorative justice is what is needed here. true it also wont bring back the items stolen, but to see this piece of social scum having to literally work and pay for his crimes would be immensly satisfactory!( and cheaper for the taxpayer!)
Someone like this should be birched. May he rot in hell. It sickens me how these evil cretins can rob people, let alone frail old people who need the help and support of people.
He should remember that what goes round, comes round, it could happen to him in later life, I believe in poetic justice… in his case, it would serve him right.