Man escapes jail after breaking into pensioner's home
A MAN who told police he broke into a pensioner's home to meet a girl he had met on a social networking website escaped prison yesterday after his 18-month jail term was suspended for two years.
Handing down the suspended term at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Geoffrey Miller, QC, told 23-year-old William Godfrey his claim "quite frankly, lacks any real sense of credibility".
Earlier he heard how 76-year-old Thomas Morrison was awoken at about 5am on March 15 last year and went to the kitchen of his Morpeth Street home in the city to investigate, only to be confronted by an "extremely drunk" Godfrey.
Prosecuting lawyer David McClean said Godfrey tried to make off and clambered over the back wall but was arrested an hour later close to the scene.
When interviewed, Godfrey, from Argyle Street in Belfast, claimed he had gone to the house because he had been invited there by a girl he had met on the Bebo website.
The lawyer said while at the custody suite, officers searched Godfrey and uncovered a small amount of cannabis in his pocket and he later pleaded guilty to offences of burglary and possessing a Class C drug.
Defence lawyer Martin Morgan said it was clear from the statements that unlike many burglaries involving pensioners' homes, "Mr Morrison was never physically or verbally threatened by this accused" and revealed the "irony" in the case was that Mr Morrison was a friend of Godfrey's grandfather.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
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