A MOTHER wept as her drug addict son was jailed for 24 months after burgling the home of a Driffield woman in her 70s who was recovering from major surgery.
Judge James Sampson said repeat-offender George Hague, 30, terrified his victim, who was forced to crawl upstairs to alert her husband when her home was raided shortly after she had undergone surgery to remove a kidney.
He told Hull Crown Court: “You are a drug addict but that is not an excuse for burglary.
“There are a number of aggravating features. Firstly you have a number of previous convictions. Secondly this happened at night.
“You must have chosen this house in darkness.
“The victims were elderly people in their 70s. They were terrified. You violated their personal space.
“Fortunately there was no confrontation, but that is no comfort to them.
“They may never recover from the experience.”
Crown barrister Jane Bryan said the elderly victim of the burglary was in the kitchen of her home when she heard a window being smashed in the sun room on October 6.
In fear, she had to crawl upstairs to her sleeping husband, who rang the police.
It was later discovered that fluted glass and an antique Chinese ginger jar, together valued at £300, had been stolen.
Blood was found on a chair which was matched to Hague.
A witness reported to police seeing Hague between midnight and 1am offering to sell him the jar with blood on his hands.
He was arrested by police and his initial reaction was: “You are joking”.
Jane Bryan said a victim statement from the pensioner said: “I was shocked and scared during the incident that night, and it has made me feel uneasy in my own home.”
Hague of Whitelands, Driffield, pleaded guilty at Bridlington Magistrates’ Court to the charge of burglary, plus two charges of theft and one of going equipped for theft. He appeared at Hull Crown Court for sentence on Monday.
Hague also admitted stealing £45 from a cash tin at a yoga class held at the Masonic Hall in Driffield on October 10.
On October 15 PC Philips came across Hague at 3.15pm in Driffield riding a stolen bike. He told police he had been asked to steal it to order. He had on him a hacksaw, spare blades and tin snips.
The court heard he had conviction for dishonesty going back to 2003 including car theft, shop lifting, driving with excess alcohol and a caution for possession of a controlled drug.
Defending barrister Andrew Wilson said Hague had been an IT office boy from a good home until he tried heroin for no reason. He fell into addiction. He had tried to quit in February but then began to take Valium.
He said: “This is a sad story of the affect class A drugs can have on a positive member of society.
Hague’s mother wept in the public gallery as Judge Sampson said he had even effectively stolen from his mother by stealing from the yoga class which was a “mean offence.”
He added: “Only a custodial sentence is appropriate as you have failed to comply with community sentences in the past.”