Torquay man jailed for burglary of 89-year-old stroke victim's home
He was caught on camera stealing cash and jewellery
A man from Torquay has been jailed for almost 3 and a half years, after he was caught on camera stealing from a bed-bound 89-year-old.
Dean Lennox, who's 40 and from Foxlands Walk, broke into the sheltered accommodation at 3am on Thursday 20 May.
His victim woke up, but was unable to move or speak, after suffering a stroke, so she could not raise the alarm or call for help.
She was forced to watch on as Lennox stole rings, cash, and her late husband's wallet. Many of the stolen items had been given to her by her late husband.
He was caught thanks to motion-sensor cameras installed in the woman's flat by her family.
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. The victim broke down in tears when police arrived.
Lennox 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.”