Teen locked up for part in burglary of disabled man's home and theft of his car

Michael Berry, 19, was one of three people involved in stealing the BMW 130 from the garage of a couple while they were at home in their Shropshire bungalow.

Berry, of Wensley Way, Rochdale, admitted taking part in the burglary of the home when he appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court yesterday.

Mr Robert James Edwards, prosecuting, said that the 68-year-old owner of the car was in poor health and registered disabled.

Mr Edwards said the victim had answered his front door and spoken with a "nervous" man, who was not the defendant, who asked him about donating old newspapers for recycling.

The victim said that after he closed the door and walked through his home he heard a car engine and realised it was his own and saw it speed away.

He later found that the window to the couple's bedroom was open with their belongings strewn around and the car keys taken.

The burglary took place in Whittington, near Oswestry, on August 14 last year. Berry was identified by DNA found on the window, but police were unable to find and arrest him until September 9 this year.

Mr Edwards said the car was later discovered in London, identified by its chassis number as its number plates had been changed.

The court was told that Berry had three previous convictions for seven offences, although none were as serious as the burglary.

Mrs Debra White, for Berry, said her client had recently married and was due to become a father in January.

She said the defendant had been in custody since his arrest in September and had used the time to get education qualifications in English and maths.

"He's a young man who didn't complete his education," she added.

Judge Robin Onions said: "He can't look after himself, how's he going to look after a child? He's little more than a child himself."

Sentencing, Judge Onions said: "Those who commit distraction burglaries attack people in their own homes.

"They take not just the property that they steal, but they take their peace of mind."

He said people who were victims of such burglaries often spoke of how they no longer felt safe in their own homes.

Judge Onions sentenced Berry to 16 months in a young offenders institute, saying that his sentence had been reduced because of his age and his early guilty plea.

"If you don't change your ways, you're doomed to get longer and longer sentences," he added.

Berry was also ordered to pay £100 costs.