Widow's home raider jailed for four years

A burglar from the Black Country who ransacked the home of a disabled widow while an accomplice gagged and threatened her has been jailed for four years.

Richard Markham, aged 20, was one of three thugs who broke into the 57-year-old woman's house in Wolverhampton just weeks after the death of her husband. During her ordeal she suffered an asthma attack.

One of the burglars got her an inhaler before they carried on raiding her home.

Passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Rosalind Bush told Markham yesterday: "Your victim was scared to death and is still traumatised today.

"How can she ever feel safe in her own house in the future after what was done to her?"

Judge Bush said the brave victim refused to stop talking to her attackers, despite being threatened.

She told them her husband had just died and the thugs replied: 'He must have left you money then,' the court heard.

Mr Simon Rippon, prosecuting, said the woman was sleeping at about midday on December 16 as she was suffering from an asthma attack the night before.

One of the burglars grabbed her and took her into a spare bedroom where he pushed her onto the bed and forced a gloved hand across her mouth.

She began struggling to breath and one of the men fetched an inhaler for her, the court heard.

Mr Rippon said the men told her not to look at them as they stole a Nintendo Wii and two mobile phones.

They were chased by police shortly afterwards and Markham, of Neve Avenue, Low Hill, was caught. He admitted burlgary at an earlier hearing

Miss Paula Bignall, defending, said: "He has lived with his grandmother, who is herself disabled, since he was five, and therefore has some small insight into the impact of what he did. He is deeply ashamed."