A man whose sister was killed five years ago has been jailed for a recent crime spree after his family 'never fully recovered from her death'.
Danny Huteson fell into drug use after his sister, Laura Huteson, was killed when she was only 21. She died in the home of someone she had met hours beforehand in a twisted 'sex-game'.
Her brother, Danny Huteson, 24, of Henley Avenue, Hull, admitted attempted burglary, burglary and theft at Hull Crown Court this week.
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Danny has 18 previous convictions for 32 offences, 17 of those involving burglary. His lawyer for the court appearance this week, Digby Johnson, said he has suffered with a drug problem ever since his sister died.
Laura was 21 when she stabbed in the neck by Jason Gaskell, 24, during a "bizarre" sado-masochistic sex game at his home in Orchard Park on February 27, 2018.
Gaskell, who had only met Laura hours earlier and "regularly used a knife in the midst of sexual congress", was jailed for six years in the August after admitting gross negligence manslaughter. During his trial, it was revealed that Gaskell held the knife to Laura's neck, piercing her artery. He only realised he had stabbed her when she "gave a jerking motion".
Gaskell made a "highly distressed" 999 call just after 9am on February 27, and was on the phone to emergency services for 22 minutes. He lied to the operator saying Laura had "fallen on the knife", then that she "rolled on the knife".
Following his release in 2021, after serving half of a six-year prison stretch, Laura's family questioned the severity of the sentence. Cousin Holly Hayward said: "Why are violent offenders allowed out on good behaviour? They have put a dangerous man back out on the streets."
Despite the tragic background to his offending, Judge Kate Rayfield said Danny Huteson has deprived his victims of dignity.
In the absence of a prosecutor, the judge read out the sentencing notes to the court. She told the court Huteson pleaded guilty to three counts of theft from shop.
He was identified on CCTV footage in all of the theft offences and stole 'easy to resell items' including cheese, chicken and detergent. In one of the instances of theft, on December 26, 2022, Huteson and another male went to SJ convenience store and took £400 worth of alcohol. One of the males said to a staff worker: "We won't hurt you sweetheart."
On the same day, Huteson and another male were caught on CCTV footage attempting to enter a property on Durham Street. The owner was not at home at the time and the men were not able to access the property.
In the early hours of February 3, this year, a woman was inside her ground-floor flat when she heard loud noise coming from inside her home, she got out of bed and saw Huteson standing in the doorway. He said 'sorry' before walking into the living room.
The woman was so petrified, she stayed in bed the whole time Huteson was there. She rang the police after he left when she realised her TV and wheelchair were gone.
Huteson was arrested the same day when police spotted him pushing a wheelchair 40m from where the burglary occurred. In a victim personal statement, the woman said she feels 'scared and anxious' because seeing someone in her own home terrified her.
Mr Johnson told the court the family has 'never fully recovered' from the incident. However, Huteson, who has been in prison since his arrest, was aware that he would be spending more time in custody and wants to make the most of his life when he is released.
Judge Rayfield said to Huteson: "I can't imagine anything more terrifying for the victim than seeing someone she does not know standing in her home. Then there's the matter of dignity, you took away her wheelchair, which was her only means of getting around.
"Thankfully it was recovered not long after." Taking the principle of totality into account, she sentenced him to a total of two years and five months in prison.
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