Burglars told to expect jail sentences (From Watford Observer)

Burglars told to expect jail sentences

12:50pm Friday 3rd October 2008 in

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Two burglars have been told they can expect to go to jail after they broke into a Watford home as the family were sleeping.

Paul Crowther, 28, from Watford, and Jay Wilson, 29, from Bricket Wood, were given the bleak news when they pleaded guilty to the break in at St Albans crown court yesterday.

The pair were appearing in front of Recorder Lyndsay Davies who agreed to a defence request on behalf of Wilson that sentence be adjourned on him so that he can be assessed to see if he is suitable for a Drug Rehabilitation Requirement as part of a non-custodial sentence.

She agreed to put back the sentencing on both for the assessment on Wilson to be carried out.

But she said she regarded the offence as so serious that a custodial sentence is almost inevitable.

Earlier she had heard how in the early hours of July 2 this year, Crowther, of The Gossamers, and Wilson, of Meadow Close, broke into a house in North Western Avenue, Watford.

Two young children and their parents were asleep at the time.

In fact, said Heather Shimmen, prosecuting, the dad had come downstairs to sleep on a sofa in the living room because one of his children was unwell.

At 5am he was suddenly woken to see a stranger leaning over his TV set and another man standing in the doorway.

The pair ran off and were briefly chased by the dad who soon returned to his house.

It was then that he discovered his wife's purse had been swiped along with a mobile phone and his Vauxhall Astra that had been parked outside the house was gone too.

The car was found abandoned nearby in a side street a short while later.

Police carried out a search of the area and found the defendants hiding behind bushes in the car park of TGI Friday's in St Albans Road.

They were arrested and forensic tests carried out on the car and on clothing worn by the pair showed strong signs that Crowther had sat in the driver's seat and Wilson had been in the front passenger seat.

Sentencing will take place later this month.