Bolton: 'Particularly cruel' burglar targeted elderly

Kevin Lee, 47, was first involved in a burglary in Bolton on March 27, 2021 when police officers were called to an elderly woman’s home.

Bolton Crown Court heard how police were called at around 7.30am and found that someone had broken into the house and taken several valuable things.

Prosecutor Aubrey Sampson said: “Upon arrival, officers found the back door open and signs of damage to the chain on the door.”

They found the two televisions, a neckless, around 45 silver coins, a jewellery box, a house key, a vacuum cleaner and the elderly woman’s purse with around £150 inside had been taken worth up to £1,500 all together.

The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

Tracing the stolen goods they eventually came to Lee’s home on Newby Road, Breightmet, at around 8.45pm that same day.

Mr Sampson said: “On entering the property, the defendant was sat asleep in the front room of the address.”

Lee was arrested, charged and bailed but at first denied being involved in the burglary.

But while still bailed he committed another 'cruel' crime on March 8 this year when Lee, who has 48 previous convictions for 156 offences, apparently befriended an 86-year-old on his way home from the shops.

But this was simple a ruse to get inside the elderly man’s house where Lee then started asking about his mobile phone.

Lee then went upstairs where he met the elderly man son and struck up a conversation about video games with him.

But after he left, Lee’s elderly victim realised his mobile phone and his wallet, containing £120, a debit card and a Bolton Wanderers season ticket, were missing.

After an anonymous tip off, police again searched Lee’s Newby Road home and found the season ticket, mobile phone and a declined payment receipt for Home Bargains which Lee appeared to have tried to use his victim’s debit card for.

Lee was again arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to handling stolen good in the case of the elderly woman and to burglary for stealing from the elderly man and fraud for using his debit card.

Ellen Shaw, defending, argued that Lee deserved credit for admitting his crimes, though she accepted he had “targeted vulnerability” and that his criminal record was “no assistance to him.”

But she told the court that he had shown remorse for his actions even though this “might be met with some scepticism given his lengthy record” and said most of his crimes were driven by drug addiction.

Ms Shaw said: “He is an addict and this has been the motivation behind almost all of his offending.”

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But Recorder Jon Close pointed out that he had only admitted his guilt “very late in the day” and had committed his second offence while already on bail.

He said: “And it was cruel because it was targeted against an elderly, vulnerable 86-year-old man.”

He added: “It is a particularly cruel offence and on which you can gain no comfort whatsoever because you knew precisely who your victim was.”

Recorder Close sentenced Lee to a total of three years and 10 months in prison.