A man who crept into the home of a woman in her 90s and stole money from her handbag – then returned months later to burgle her again – has been jailed for 39 months.
Brandon Williams, 22, of Lon Gwendraeth, Morriston, broke into the elderly woman’s home on the night of 7 November last year whilst she slept. He stole between £200 and £250 in cash that she had ready to pay for her heating boiler service.
Swansea Crown Court heard Williams’ DNA was found at the scene. Whilst police were investigating, he struck again on 20 November, stealing a Nissan van containing the owner’s work tools from another Morriston property.
The court heard Williams was on licence from a 16-month prison sentence when he committed the first burglary. He has two previous convictions for 12 offences, including burglaries and aggravated vehicle taking.
The elderly victim told the court she had changed her daily routines, installed security measures and changed locks following the break-ins. She said she wished she could feel safe in her home again but can’t.
Judge Paul Thomas KC told Williams: “It is hard to think of a more despicable offence of its type.”
The judge added that Williams had stolen a van containing tools the owner used to earn a living, telling the defendant: “Earning an honest living is something you might want to try at some stage.”
Williams pleaded guilty to one count of burglary and one count of theft, and asked for two further burglaries and a vehicle-taking to be taken into consideration. He will serve up to half his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
