A burglar stole £12,000 from his mother and sister's home while putting their belongings in the garden and defecating on them. He carried out the offence in order to feed his amphetamine addiction.
Mark Vincent, 60, targeted the home of mother Sylvia Buckley and sister Michele Griggs in North Cornelly, Bridgend, on May 3. He ransacked the house while they were housesitting and put sentimental jewellery and clothes outside which he soiled.
When caught, the defendant said his mother had only given him £10 when he was previously in prison and she had just sold her home. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard Ms Griggs had a phone call from another brother who thought he saw a homeless person in the garden and noticed a window had been prised open.
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When Ms Griggs arrived back at the house, she noticed belongings had been strewn around the garden and her mother's room had been ransacked. Various bundles of cash had also been taken, including £5,000 from an envelope in a chest of drawers, £3,000 from a bedside drawer, £4,000 from a dressing gown pocket, around £250 from a coat pocket, and £70 from a purse.
When Ms Griggs brother Dean Buckley went out looking for the culprit, he bumped into his brother Vincent but it was only when he returned to his mother's house did he realise the defendant was wearing the same clothes as the person he saw in the garden. Police attended Vincent's address and found him hanging around near the entrance.
He was arrested and searched which resulted in bundles of cash being discovered in a bag. Vincent then told police "You have caught me, I have not been caught like this before." He was also found in possession of 3g of white powder which was found to be amphetamine.
While being transported to Bridgend police station, he told officers he felt his mother "owed him" because she had only sent him £10 when he was in prison, having promised to share the proceeds of the sale of her home to her family. The defendant, of Channel View Road, Grangetown, Cardiff, later pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of amphetamine. The court heard he had committed 42 previous offences related to theft, the latest taking place in 2016.
Prosecutor Emily Jermin said all of the items had been recovered but had been soiled by the defendant in the garden. The majority of the money was not recovered, except for £2,300.
In mitigation, Georgina Buckley (no relation) said her client had a long-standing addiction to amphetamines but had been trying to come to terms with it and reducing his intake. She said Vincent was "extremely remorseful" and had issues with his sight and arthritis.
Sentencing, Recorder Andrew Hammond said: "(Your family) simply can't understand why you would do this to them. There was considerable mess left by you in the property which constitutes ransacking and you soiled items in the garden.... This property was deliberately targeted, it wasn't by chance you burgled the home of your mother and sister." Vincent was sentenced to two years and eight months imprisonment.
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