A grieving women returned from her dad's funeral to find that her home had been burgled.
Stephen Sand s injured himself breaking in and left blood on the floor and on some clothes inside the house in Seaforth. Sands stole clothes and a few days after the break-in the victim saw a woman wearing some of them.
Neighbours believed the stranger may have been given the stolen clothes by a man living in a nearby homeless shelter whom she associated with. Christopher Hopkins, prosecuting confirmed this was true during a hearing earlier today at Liverpool Crown Court.
READ MORE: Man woke up to find burglar in his city centre apartment
Mr Hopkins had told the court that the woman went to her father’s funeral on November 5 last year and returned to her home on Kepler Street, Seaforth, just after midnight. He said: “A brick had been thrown through the kitchen window and there was glass everywhere and blood on the door and floor and she was extremely distressed.
"She did not initially think anything was missing but later realised that clothing, shoes and make-up worth £270 had been stolen. There was blood on her bedroom curtains and also on other clothing, worth £200, which she had to throw away as the stains would not wash out
“She felt targeted because he had previously spoken to her in the street and asked where and the times she worked and who looked after the dog.”
The misery caused by 56-year-old Sands, of Hicks Road, Seaforth, was outlined today after he pleaded guilty to the burglary. The drug addict and alcoholic, who was described as having “many children”, has 42 convictions for 87 offences including at least 14 for dwelling house burglaries.
The judge, Recorder Graham Wells, told Sands, “Your record is shocking.” The defendant faced a minimum term of three years as he was classed as “a three striker” but the judge gave him credit for his guilty plea and jailed him for 29 months.
The judge said the victim had had to move and “give up her dog, her companion” but said he did not accept that Sands had targeted the premises. In a victim personal statement she told how she was left “distressed, depressed and anxious” and felt targeted because of that conversation.
She had to take two weeks off work and had to replace everything that had been covered in his blood. She also felt she need to “start over again” by moving though she could not take her father’s dog with her.
She said that she felt 'broken.' Charles Lander, defending, said that Sands had not known the victim’s father had died and he felt remorseful.
His background involved addiction to drugs and alcohol and he had relapsed at the time of the offence. His last domestic burglary was in 2009 and he had stayed out of trouble having formed a stable relationship and found work.
The court heard that his last conviction was in 2017 for a commercial burglary. Mr Lander said that Sands, who has some mental health issues, is being assisted to end his drug addiction by a methadone course.
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