A pair of "career burglars" targeted high-performance cars and stole sentimental items belonging to one victim's mother while she was at her funeral.
Serial home invaders Martin Flemming and Grant Ferguson broke into Tyneside homes in a spate of offences, often stealing cars to order. The callous pair casually walked past a sleeping recently-diagnosed cancer victim in one of the break-ins.
And another victim returned home from saying her final goodbye to her mum to find irreplaceable items belonging to her had been stolen. Now Flemming, 34, of no fixed address and Ferguson, 24, of Cruddas Park, Elswick, Newcastle, who both have previous convictions for burglaries, have been jailed for a total of 19 years at Newcastle Crown Court.
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Sentencing them, Judge Tim Gittins said: "You are career burglars. Time and again you have ended up being caught.
"You were brazen and callous in that you couldn't care less if the properties were occupied by familes or older people or anyone inbetween. You left people without transport and you caused devastating psychological damage."
The woman whose home on Ladybank, Chapel Park, Newcastle, was targeted while she was at her mum's funeral said in a victim impact statement: "I attended my mother's funeral and returned home to find my house had been burgled and sentimental items belonging to my mother had been taken. I'm absolutely devastated, I can't believe someone could be so callous."
Another victim, from Cloverfield Avenue, Fawdon, Newcastle, said: "This incident has made me feel violated that someone has been in my house."
A woman who lives at The Mount, Throckley, said: "We have two small children and I dread to think if they had woken up."
Another woman, who lives at Neptune Road, Newcastle, said: "Since the burglary and theft or our car we've been left feeling unsafe in our home." She added that her mum had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was asleep in their living room when the burglary happened and they walked right past her.
She added that she has been unable to sleep and is too scared to get up and go to the toilet during the night without waking her boyfriend up.
Flemming admitted a total of five burglaries, one attempted burglary, three associated vehicle thefts and one handling stolen goods. Ferguson admitted three burglaries and four associated vehicle thefts. Ferguson also admitted stealing two pedal bikes worth thousands of pounds at Newcastle University and in Jesmond.
After being arrested and taken to Cramlington Hospital, Ferguson escaped, running across the A189 Spine Road and into a wooded area. After a search involving 20 police officers, he was found on a roof and threatened to jump off. Negotiators were called and he was brought down. He admitted escaping from lawful custody.
Flemming was jailed for a total of ten years and eight months while Ferguson got eight years and four months.
Emma Hughes, prosecuting, said: "The burglaries were all planned and involved stealing vehicles, sometimes to order. It caused substantial loss to victims."
The court heard Fleming has 94 previous convictions, including 14 for theft and similar, with four burglaries in 2013, conspiracy with intent to steal in a burglary in 2015, six burglaries and vehicle thefts in 2017 - for which he was jailed for 94 months.
Ferguson has 59 previous convictions, including 24 for theft and similar, with burglary with intent in 2011, burglaries in 2015 and 2017, burglary in 2019 and aggravating taking without consent and taking without consent in 2022.
Jane Foley, defending Fleming, said: "There's little I can place before the court by way of mitigation other than he pleaded guilty, nothwithstanding that was at a late stage.
"He has a long term interest in motor vehicles and he would like to find employment related to vehicles.
"He has long-term difficulties with anxiety and depression and describes feeling embarrassment and shame from his offending behaviour." The court heard Ferguson is remorseful.
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