A pensioner was left 'extremely distressed' after a burglar forced her into a bedroom and held a pillow over her face as she housesat for a friend. Martin McGinley, 30, knocked on the door of the home on September 13, before the 82-year-old answered the door.
A court heard she spoke with a man who was asking after the owner. She told him he wasn’t home and asked who she should say called. The man said ‘Martin’ and left.
McGinley, of Smallbrook Walk, Crewe, returned around 30 minutes later, saying he had confirmation from the homeowner that he could borrow a spanner.
He walked inside before closing the door behind him and pushing the woman towards the bedroom. McGinley then forced a pillow over the woman’s face. As she fought back and attempted to shout for help, he put his hand over her mouth.
As he did this, he searched through drawers and the wardrobe, putting items into a Nike rucksack he was carrying. McGinley told the woman he wouldn’t hurt her but to not call the police and then left.
The woman rang the owner of the house who then reported the incident to police. Officers quickly attended and managed to recover the CCTV footage from the address which clearly depicted McGinley attending and leaving the address.
In the early hours of September 14, police attended McGinley’s home and arrested him on suspicion of burglary. The clothing he was wearing in the CCTV, along with the rucksack, were seized from his property. He was subsequently charged.
McGinley appeared at Chester Crown Court on December 20, where he was sentenced to 38 months imprisonment after pleading guilty. He was also handed a restraining order against the victims and ordered to pay a surcharge of £228.
Detective Constable Vicki Greenhoff said: “The elderly victim was left extremely distressed following the ordeal she had to endure at the hands of McGinley. He showed no remorse to the victim or the homeowner and was only thinking of his own selfish gain.
“I welcome the sentence handed down by the courts and hope that with McGinley behind bars, the victim can begin to move on after this horrendous incident. We will continue to do all we can to tackle burglary and will not stop targeting those who think they can get away with this type of crime.”
Anyone who wants to report an incident of burglary can do so by visiting: https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ or call 101.
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