A burglar who robbed an 89-year-old woman at her home in Torquay has been jailed.
Dean Lennox stole from the bed-bound victim after breaking into her sheltered accomodated at around 3am on 20 May. The victim watched helplessly, unable to move or speak after having suffered a stroke.
Lennox was caught on camera, recorded through motion-activated cameras installed in the elderly woman’s flat by her loved-ones.
Lennox stole rings, cash, and even her late husband’s wallet.
He was arrested by police within hours after selling his haul to a local jewellers – giving them his name and address in the process.
Officers were able to swiftly recover all of the stolen items.
Lennox, aged 40, of Foxlands Walk, Torquay, admitted a charge of burglary and was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Exeter Crown Court on Monday 21 June.
Detective Inspector Jennifer Rose, head of the department, said: “We want this incident and the police’s response to send a clear message to those who choose to target vulnerable people within our society.
“We will go to great lengths to catch and convict those who commit these crimes.
“In this case, within nine hours of the offence being committed, police had the suspect in custody and had recovered the stolen jewellery.
“This was a multi-faceted approach by several departments and we are pleased that we could recover the stolen items, but also provide the family with some peace of mind that the suspect in this case has faced justice.”
You can join us on our social media pages, follow us on Facebook or Twitter and keep up to date with whats going on in South Devon.
Got a news story, blog or press release that you’d like to share or want to advertise with us? Contact us
