A heroin addict crawled through a broken door panel to gain entry to the home of a 78-year-old woman before physically attacking her. He then stole cash, bank cards, a phone, and jewellery before running away.
Luke Summers, 29, was staying in a hostel in Merthyr Tydfil having recently been released from prison when he targeted the home of his victim who lived nearby. He observed the victim outside her house and hid behind a wall so she wouldn't see him.
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Wednesday heard tried to open the front door before walking to the back door and knocking. The victim refused to open the door and Summers told her he had spoken to her husband the day before and arranged for him to do some work in the yard.
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Prosecutor James Evans said the victim's husband had died six years previously. She told the defendant her husband would be back soon but the next thing she realised was Summers crawling on all fours through the broken door panel. Mr Evans said: "She was alarmed and challenged him about why he was coming into her house. He began to demand money and told her he had a knife and was prepared to use it.
"He started pushing her with some force a number of times and pushed her to the ground. He got on top of her and punched her in the right arm. She was trying to get up and he forcefully put her back down to the ground and placed his foot on her chest."
Eventually the victim managed to get up but he threw a suitcase at her. She tried to call the police but Summers snatched the phone from her. He grabbed her handbag and emptied the contents before stealing £90, bank cards, jewellery, and her mobile phone.
Summers left the house but was seen on CCTV returning to the hostel and was seen leaving again wearing new clothes. He went to Merthyr Tydfil town centre. He was arrested by police but struggled and said: "I haven't f****** done anything." He was still in possession of the victim's phone upon his arrest.
The defendant, of Gurnos Road, later pleaded guilty to robbery. The court heard he had a number of previous convictions for offences including robbery, burglary, offences of dishonesty, arson, and assaulting an emergency worker.
In a victim personal statement read out the court the victim said: "I felt petrified by the incident. I have lived in this house for 20 years and felt safe and secure but the defendant has taken that away. The aftermath of the incident is still with me and it will never go away. Every time I go into my kitchen I rerun the defendant coming through my kitchen door." The victim said she had contemplating selling her home as a result of the robbery.
In mitigation Adam Sharp his client had no income having been released from prison and was a longstanding heroin addict who had been prescribed methadone. He felt the amount of methadone he was given was not enough to satisfy his needs and began to take heroin again and racking up a drug debt. He had little recollection of the robbery because he was on drugs at the time.
Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull KC said: "You terrified your victim in her own home. I accept you were under the influence of drugs and it was an attempt to get money to purchase drugs which was your motivation but that is no comfort to the victim."
Summers was sentenced to six years imprisonment and will serve an extended four years on licence. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 10 years.
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