A burglar who murdered a 91-year-old man after breaking into his home in High Wycombe has been jailed for life.
Andrew Francis, 46, was found guilty of murdering John Brackin at Reading Crown Court last Friday.
Brackin was found unconscious in his home in Cedar Terrace on November 19 last year. He died a week later in hospital.
Thames Valley Police said Mr Brackin had been in his home at around 3.10pm when Francis forced his way in, attempting to find money to buy drugs.
He then took “an unknown amount of money and jewellery” from the property.
Francis was arrested on November 24, and he subsequently assaulted a police officer whilst in custody. He was charged two days later.
On Friday, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 25 years.
Francis denied murder, but had previously pleaded guilty to burglary dwelling, criminal damage, and assault on an emergency worker.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Will Crowther, said: “Andrew Francis’ decided to burgle John Brackin’s house in an attempt to steal money, so that he could buy drugs.
“When he realised that John Brackin was inside, he had a choice to leave the house but he didn’t.
“He instead inflicted injuries on John and burgled the property, also leaving John Brackin unable to call for help.
“John tragically died as a consequence of Francis’ assault on him. It was a horrendous crime and Francis fully deserves to be behind bars for a very long time.
“Francis’ violent actions have caused such sadness for the Brackin family.”
He added: “I would like to thank the Brackin family for their courage and dignity throughout the trial, and I hope the conviction of Francis, and the very long prison sentence given to him, will help them in a small way to move forward.
“I am pleased that Andrew Francis has been punished for his horrendous actions, and he will spend a very long time in prison, where he will no longer be a threat to the community.”
