Man jailed after robbing elderly Salisbury woman of £80k of personal items
Edy Hernandez was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court
An elderly woman from Salisbury says she's lost the feeling of security in her home after £80,000 worth of personal items were stolen from her home.
Edy Hernandez, of Wilton Road, Southampton, has been found guilty of theft and burglary and will spend 18 months behind bars for the offence, which left the woman, who's in her 70s', scared in her own home.
The 29-year-old was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Friday.
He was found to have broken into through an upstairs window on the night of 5th October 2023, stealing numerous items.
They included a flat screen television, a tablet, several suitcases, distinctive bottles of alcohol and jewellery including diamond rings, diamond earrings, broaches, pendants, pearl chains, ruby ring and Georgian drop diamond earrings.
The woman, who wasn't home when the burglary took place, returned to find a number of sentimental items missing.
An investigation was launched by the Wiltshire Police burglary team, with Hernandez being arrested a month later following extensive enquiries.
Some of the stolen items were seized by police at his address.
Det Sgt Ted Roe said: “Burglary is a completely invasive crime – by doing what he did, Hernandez has left this lady feeling extremely vulnerable and anxious in the one place she should feel most safe. To take someone’s sense of security and invade their privacy in this way is totally unacceptable and our Burglary Team is fully committed to targeting offenders like Hernandez and ensuring they are put before the courts.”
In a statement, the woman said the event has changed her life.
She said: “I cannot explain to you the feelings I experienced when I returned home on that day and discovered my house had been broken into. There was the horror and heartbreak of opening each door to see it had been searched and noticing sentimental items missing, praying that they had not been taken and I would later find them. I heavy heartedly knew this was wishful thinking.
“I just felt so vulnerable living alone and the nights after the burglary were very uncomfortable for me, up until I knew he had been caught. I would hear every noise and wake up worried that he had returned. To have that feeling of being scared in your own house is horrible. He not only took my property but he took away my sense of security in my own home.
“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the police who have been efficient and very supportive. Without them, this whole affair would have been very much harder to deal with.”