A deviant man who cruelly broke into the home of an elderly man before ransacking the property and stole £9,500 has been jailed.
Craig Holmes, is now behind bars for two years and four months after stealing antique guns during the raid and redirecting a credit card to his own address before racking up huge bills.
The former mechanic’s life had spiralled out of control in recent years after his mother died, he got injuries to his knee and then started taking amphetamines.
His victim in his mid-70s suffers from dementia and had been placed into a residential care home years before the crimes were committed.
This week a court heard how cruel Holmes falsely told the man’s neighbours the victim had died and left him the house when they saw him outside the victim’s property, according to Derbyshire Live.
The 47-year-old father-of-two then twice broke into the house within a few days, took the weapons and financial paperwork during what his lawyer called a time in the defendant’s life when he “completely lost his moral compass”.
Sentencing Holmes to two years and four months, Judge Simon Gurney, said: “(The victim) was an elderly and vulnerable man who suffers from dementia and who moved to a residential care home in 2019, having been discharged from hospital having been treated for a benign tumour.
“When police visited his home the found an external post box which anyone could access to intercept the post.
“Substantial property was stolen and there is evidence of significant planning.
“This was concerted offending against a man unable to detect your offending.
Gregor Purcell, prosecuting, said the offences began in May 2019 at the Derbyshire home.
He said the victim, then in his mid-70s, had moved out of the property in Paxton Street, Tapton, some six or seven years earlier but left it fully furnished and with “valuable antiques” inside it.
Mr Purcell said: “Neighbours saw the defendant outside the property and he told them the owner had passed away and he had inherited this and two other properties from him.
“This was all a lie as by now the victim was living in a care home.
“The same day one neighbour heard a banging outside and it was this defendant using something like a crowbar to break into the house.
“Four days later a blue car on false plates was seen outside the property and this defendant was removing items from inside and putting them in the boot of his car.”
Mr Purcell said Homes, of Somerset Drive, Brimmington, near Chesterfield, was arrested and questioned then released under investigation.
He said during that time further police work uncovered a fraud whereby the defendant redirected a credit card in the victim’s name to his address and spent £9,500 and successfully applied for mail order accounts for goods.
Holmes, who appeared for the hearing over a video link from HMP Leicester, pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and fraud.
He has limited previous convictions which began when he was in his 40s.
William Bennett, mitigating, said his client had worked with HGVs had his own business serving such vehicles.
He said: “Why did he get into trouble?
“He has a significant injury to his knee, his mother died and he seems to have a complete mid-life crisis and seems to have completely lost his moral compass.
“This is a man who brought up his children as a single parent.
“I asked him what else was happening in his life and he told me he started using a lot of amphetamine.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
