Masked burglar subjected his elderly and vulnerable victim to three hour ordeal in her own home

Imposing 44 months on David Taylor for offences arising from the burglary and other incidents he committed on 30 November 2022, Judge Alistair Devlin also activated previously suspended jail sentences of two years for similar offending, ordering them to be served consecutively.

Jailing the 43-year-old at Antrim Crown Court the judge was scathing in his remarks, describing the crimes as “despicable offending”.

He told Taylor that not only had his victim lost items of financial value and high sentimental value, she had been left so traumatised by the terrifying and prolonged ordeal, committed in the sanctity of her home that she had sold it and moved in with her daughter.

Revealing that amongst the items taken by drug addict Taylor and never recovered was a gold Star of David given to her by her husband of more than 60 years, Judge Devlin said the elderly and vulnerable victim had been forced to leave the home where she had lived, losing friendships with neighbours she had known for decades and had been left suffering from depression and PTSD.

“The court is entirely satisfied that is all down to you and your disgraceful behaviour,” declared the judge as he jailed for recidivist thief who has 118 criminal convictions including more than 20 for domestic burglaries.

Judge Devlin said despite Taylor’s claims that he thought the house was empty, when he was confronted by the 86-year-old victim “you could easily have left and just gone home.”

“Instead however you chose to remain there for three and a half hours inside this lady’s home,” said the judge.

He heard that during the prolonged ordeal Taylor:

– threatened to stab her with a screwdriver “up to the handle;”

- rummaged through her belongings;

- smoked two cannabis joints sitting at the foot of the pensioner’s bed while she was still in it, fearing that she would be sexually assaulted;

- dragged her back and assaulted her when she tried to leave by the back door

- bizarrely gave her a hug and told her “God bless you” as he left her home after 7am.

Judge Devlin told the court how the 86-year-old widow had gone to bed at around 9pm having locked the door to her home at Hollybank Park in Ballymena but she was awakened around 4am by light in the hallway and when she went to investigate, was confronted by the masked intruder who demanded money and jewellery.

Having ransacked her cupboards and other rooms and taken various items of jewellery, Taylor was told there was around £140 cash in the victim’s bag so he took that along with a cheque book and bank cards.

“You then sat at the bottom if the bed and that is when the bizarre behaviour began,” said Judge Devlin, outlining how Taylor rolled two cannabis joints and smoked them before he made himself and the petrified widow a cup of tea each.

At one stage when the vulnerable victim tried to leave by the back door, Taylor “grabbed her and trailed her back in,” causing her to fall and cut her hand and while she was on the floor he kicked her twice to the hip and threatened her with the screwdriver “if she tried any more smart tricks.”

“During the protracted ordeal her greatest fear was that she would be sexually assaulted by you,” the judge told Taylor, describing that when the thug eventually left after 7am, he had a “final look” around the house, gave her a hug and told her “God bless you.”

The court heard that when he left that property Taylor tried to break into two other houses nearby, causing £2,000 of damage to the PVC door and windows to one of them.

Police investigating the incidents obtained forensic and CCTV evidence linking Taylor to them but he had fled to mainland Europe, revealing himself after he surrendered himself to police in September last year that he had been in Amsterdam “taking loads of drugs.”

During “emotional” police interviews Taylor said he had “wanted to get money to buy a new bike” so after putting socks on his hands, he took a spade from a shed to gain access to houses and “was surprised to see a resident inside.”

He was visibly upset and apologised and made full admissions, the court heard and Taylor, of no fixed abode, later entered guilty pleas to charges of burglary, false imprisonment, attempted burglary with intent to steal, theft, possessing class B cannabis and criminal damage.

Judge Devlin said there was a multitude of aggravating factors to the case including Taylor’s criminal record, that he had caused significant harm to his elderly and vulnerable victim who was put through a terrifying and prolonged ordeal, that he forced entry into her home “in the dead of night” and assaulted her when she tried to escape.

He told the defendant while he was not assessing him as posing a serious risk of harm to the public, “it was not without hesitation” that he came to that conclusion.

While Taylor had entered guilty pleas and through his counsel had apologised for his “shameful” offending, the judge said that had to be seen in the light of the “despicable” burglary.

Imposing the jail sentences, Judge Devlin ordered that Taylor serve half in jail and jailed under supervised license conditions.