Burglar is jailed after raid at Bloxwich widow's home
A prolific?burglar has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for breaking into the home of a recently widowed woman and trying to steal property belonging to her late husband.
Terry Selvey, who has a string of previous convictions including several for burgling homes, struck on March 28, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told yesterday.
A plain clothes police sergeant on patrol in an unmarked police car saw the 36-year-old and another man acting suspiciously in Bloxwich and followed them, prosecutor Mr Mark Phillips said.
Selvey and the other man were followed into Stoney Lane where the officer saw one of them disappear towards a house in the street while the other appeared to be keeping watch.
Uniformed police were alerted and went to the address where they found the front door open and the defendant in an upstairs bedroom where he was arrested.
He had £1,300 worth of jewellery in his pockets as well as a gloves and a screwdriver which had been used to break in to the property, Mr Phillips said.
The recently bereaved woman, who was not at home at the time of the crime, told police that the items of jewellery were of huge sentimental value since they had belonged to her late husband.
She added in a victim impact statement: "This incident has taken me aback. What I find so hurtful is that such a mess was made and it was such an invasion. I hope the people who did this may have an understanding of the hurt they cause."
Mr Roy Paterson, defending, said that Selvey was aware of the comments of the woman but had insisted that nothing should be said on his behalf to the court.
The defendant from Mersey Road, Walsall, pleaded guilty to burglary and was jailed by Judge John Warner who told him: "When you burgle a house there is a risk that it will belong to somebody like this lady and they will be badly affected by what you have done."
