For those targeted by burglars, there's a feeling of having been violated. There's a fear of being targeted again, and the sense of helplessness.
In recent years, there's been a feeling that a crime which causes such misery was not being taken seriously by police. Now, police forces around the country - including Greater Manchester Police - are promising to attend all home burglaries, with the hope of solving more crimes and prosecuting more offenders.
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Last year there were a total of 12,460 burglaries of residential properties in the Greater Manchester area, plus 371 aggravated burglaries, which is a more serious crime because it means the offenders were armed with some kind of weapon, according to statistics released by the government.
National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) chair Martin Hewitt, said: “The number of burglaries is at an all-time low, down 51% over the past decade due to increased investment by police and partners in preventing them happening in the first place.
“Wherever you live in England and Wales you can be confident the police will attend if you experience the invasion of a home burglary. This should see more burglaries solved and more offenders prosecuted.”
While police say they have sharpened their focus on burglary, Manchester's courts are dealing with the cases of those who have been caught. Some of them are persistent, others dangerously reckless, some desperate - all left misery in their wake. The Manchester Evening News looks at their cases here.
Sean Gavin
Career criminal Sean Gavin has brought fear and inconvenience to people across Greater Manchester.
The 29-year-old habitual burglar appeared before Minshull Street Crown Court in August this year after he triggered an alarm at a house in Rochdale.
The woman had been alerted by her phone that her house had been broken into whilst she was at work and the police were called.
There, they found Gavin and a teenager who had broken into the house via the patio doors before ransacking it.
However, as officers made their way to the garage armed with tasers, they found the two thieves cowering in the corner.
Gavin, of Bradford, turned on the crocodile tears and apologised, saying ‘sorry for what he did’. This was a ‘ruse’, as he pushed past both officers in an attempt to run away, the court heard.
Gavin was quickly brought down as one of the officers deployed a taser and arrested him. He was jailed for four years after admitting burglary.
Gary Foulkes
Burglar Gary Foulkes ran over a woman with her own car after sneaking into her house through an unlocked door.
The 68-year-old, from Bolton, stole the woman’s handbag before rifling through it and swiping the keys to a Volkswagen T-Roc, Bolton Crown Court heard in September.
The homeowner then saw Foulkes get into her own car and tried to stop him driving away by closing the gate and standing in the driveway whilst calling for help.
However, a neighbour heard the engine revving and then saw the car accelerate towards her, before driving over her and through the gate.
Foulkes, of Ashness Place, was jailed for seven years and 11 months after pleading guilty to burglary, theft of the car, inflicting grievous bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.
Wayne Farrell and Sean O’Sullivan
A pair of burglars branded 'active and experienced' by police were jailed over a series of house raids. Wayne Farrell, 38, and Sean O'Sullivan, 47, 'stole whatever property they could lay their hands on', detectives said as both men were locked up.
They broke into five properties in Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire at the beginning of 2019. Both men were convicted of conspiracy to commit burglary.
The burglaries took place at homes in Bury, Halifax and Oldham.
Stephen Brady
The 54-year-old broke into the houses whilst the homeowners were out and snatched the high value items. The career criminal's rap sheet dates back to the 1980s, and Brady has 33 previous convictions for burglary offences.
Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard how the prolific burglar used an electric scooter to flee from the scene of his crimes.
Brady had racked up a hefty drug habit - which he funded by targeting the homes of innocent victims. In January Brady, of Moss Bank, Manchester was jailed for four and a half years after admitting four counts of burglary of a dwelling.
Paul Daniels
Paul Daniels was diagnosed with terminal cancer before he began burgling sheds and houses in a ‘downward spiral’.
Daniels, 43, was told by doctors that he had a life expectancy of between five and ten years following his diagnosis.
He ‘spiralled’ into drug use and began stealing from houses in Cheadle to fund his addiction, Minshull Street Crown Court heard in July. From one shed he took £700 worth of power tools.
He stole a PlayStation and the homeowner’s wallet from a house. He went on to splurge over £200 at local shops using the man’s bank cards.
Daniels, of Peel Hall Road, Wythenshawe , pleaded guilty to offences of burglary and eight counts of fraud. Citing exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge felt able to suspend the jail term due to Daniel’s condition.
He was handed 23 months imprisonment which was suspended for 24 months. He must also complete a nine month drug treatment programme, a Thinking Skills programme and 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements.
Daniel O’Donnell
Devious Daniel O’Donnell stole jewellery worth thousands of pounds from a pensioner after promising to carry out work in her garden.
O'Donnell, 30, turned up at the 70-year-old woman’s address in Denton and offered to carry out the work for £250.
But when she was distracted in the kitchen and back garden, the thief snuck into her house and took two safes containing a jewellery collection worth £35,000 and cash.
The victim said the burglary had 'completely ruined her life' and had 'taken away any confidence I had about living on my own'.
He was caught out by fingerprints he left at the scene. O’Donnell, of no fixed abode, was jailed for more than five years in December last year.
Chief Constable Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said: “Any intrusion into our home can be traumatic. It’s not just the loss of possessions but the way a burglary can steal a person’s sense of security from the place where they should feel safest.
“Officers across the country want to be locking up criminals and keeping communities safe. Our standards will help bring consistency to the police’s response, enable them to get the basics right and deliver what the public expect.”
Read more of today's top stories here
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