(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
A BURGLAR who stole a car after he “fell in with the wrong crowd” has been locked up for two years.
In May this year, Connor Gilmore stole a bank card from a handbag that had been left out near an unlocked door at a house in Bradford.
He then tried three times to use the card.
Man stole car from family home
Two days later, with others, he stole a car from a house whilst the family living there was inside and, heard Bradford Crown Court, there was almost a confrontation as the owners saw their car being taken.
Gilmore, 29, of no fixed abode and who appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary, fraud by false representation, and theft of a motor vehicle.
The court heard that he had previous convictions and at the time was subject to a community order for a driving offence.
Burglar 'fell in with the wrong crowd'
Mitigating, barrister Syam Soni said Gilmore suffered injuries in a serious accident that led to him suffering from anxiety and depression.
He said it had been “a particularly vulnerable time in his life where he fell in with the wrong crowd” and that there had been “an element of peer pressure”.
He said Gilmore had been with others at the time of the second burglary when the car was stolen and that Gilmore, with others, had been found hiding in a bush by police after they had fled the stolen car.
He said Gilmore had been “egged on” by others who he described as “more criminally sophisticated”.
Mr Soni said Gilmore had expressed insight, remorse, and “genuine regret”.
'These offences are so serious'
Jailing Gilmore, His Honour Judge Geoffrey Marson KC said: “Burglaries of dwelling houses are not merely attacks on property; they are an invasion of a person’s home where they are entitled to feel secure and safe.
“The long-term consequences on householders of burglaries of houses – particularly when they take place at night whilst they are asleep in their beds – can be profound.”
He handed Gilmore 24 months’ imprisonment and said it would be “wholly inappropriate” for the sentence to be suspended as there was no realistic prospect of rehabilitation in Gilmore’s case.
He added: “These offences are so serious that only immediate custody can be justified.”
He told Gilmore, who had spent three months on remand, that he would serve half the 24 months in custody before being released on licence.
Gilmore was also ordered to pay the statutory victim surcharge. The community order was revoked.