Burglar who raided home of bed-bound 89-year-old is jailed

A burglar caught on camera thieving jewellery from the Torquay home of a bed-bound 89-year-old as she watched on helplessly has been jailed for three years and four months.

Dean Lennox woke his elderly victim after breaking into her sheltered accommodation in the dead of night and stealing rings, cash, and even her late husband’s wallet. Many of the items had been given to her by her late husband.

The pensioner, unable to move or speak after suffering a stroke and reliant on carers and her family, could not raise the alarm or call for help.

But Lennox’s criminal antics were recorded through motion-activated cameras installed in the elderly woman’s flat by her loved-ones. 

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.

The offender targeted the sheltered accommodation at 3am on Thursday 20 May.

Footage of the burglary shows Lennox, dressed in a hooded top, trousers with cargo pockets and trainers, searching the victim’s bedroom using his mobile phone as a torch.

The elderly woman is seen staring at him, but unable to react.

Lennox at one point notices the camera and turns it to the side.

He then tried to remove the batteries and connections to other recording devices in the flat.

Lennox stole £90 in cash and three gold rings.

He even took a wallet and bus pass belonging to the victim’s late husband, which she had kept for sentimental reasons. 

These were found by officers discarded in the car park of the sheltered accommodation.

The victim broke down in tears when police arrived.

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.”

--- Note to readers: This message has been disseminated by Devon and Cornwall Police - please visit their official website for further information.