Burglar gets three-year prison term after leaving blind pensioner ‘terrified’

Burglar gets three-year prison term after leaving blind pensioner ‘terrified’

31 August 2016

A BELFAST man who broke into the home of a deaf and blind 91 year-old Ballynahinch pensioner and robbed him as he slept has been jailed for three years.

Jailing Gerard Patrick Skelly at Downpatrick Crown Court sitting in Belfast last week, Judge Alistair Devlin told the 38 year-old he was a ”determined and dogged serial offender” whose actions left the vulnerable and disabled victim “absolutely terrified.” 

Skelly, from Norglen Drive, was informed he will serve half his sentence in prison, with the remaining 18 months on supervised licence upon his release. 

The court was told Skelly had 210 previous offences, prompting Judge Devlin to brand his criminal record “appalling.” 

Prior to sentencing, Judge Devlin was told by Crown barrister Rosemary Walsh that Skelly admitted five charges arising from two burglaries in Ballynahinch, which occurred in the early hours of July 23, 2015.

At around 1.30am, a man living in the Ashburn area of the town was watching television when he heard his dog barking. He went outside to investigate and when he returned to his property, he noticed a bicycle had been taken from his garage.

Around an hour and a half later, the Oakland Grove home of a 91 year-old man was broken into. Ms Walsh said the elderly resident woke up after feeling his bed vibrate and he sensed there was someone in his room. He tried to find a talking watch that he kept on a bedside cabinet, but it was missing.

The pensioner got out of bed and kicked a box on his bedroom floor that hadn’t been there when he went to bed. He then contacted police and informed them he thought he’d been burgled. Several items were stolen by Skelly including three talking watches, a wallet, jewellery and three bottles of whiskey, as well as credit cards and cash. 

Police were alerted to the break-ins and at around 7.40am that morning officers approached a Ford Mondeo which was stationery, but with its engine running, close to Skelly’s west Belfast home. 

Skelly was in the driver’s seat and appeared to be drunk. When police approached the car Skelly was “not responsive” to their questions.

The car was searched and several stolen items, including the bicycle, were found in the vehicle. They also recovered a red-handled knife.

Ms Walsh said police were subjected to verbal abuse by Skelly, who also spat at officers and refused to give a blood sample for analysis. During interviews, Skelly denied the break-ins and continued to verbally abuse officers.

At one stage, he told police “I would love to help you out, but I just don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Skelly was forensically linked to one of the burglaries via his footwear and subsequently admitted five charges, including burglary and possessing of a knife in a public place.

Defence barrister Michael Boyd said that whilst it was accepted that the burglaries — particularly the one involving the 91-year old — were serious, he said there were no threats issued or violence used. 

Remarking that the offences were committed during a “chaotic” period in Skelly’s life when he was abusing drink and drugs, Mr Boyd said: “My client knows he is very long in the tooth for this behaviour. His 40th birthday is approaching and he is aware it’s about time this sort of behaviour is consigned to the past.” 

Mr Boyd also said that Skelly recognises that if he doesn’t stop offending, he will “spent most of the rest of his life in prison”. Sentencing Skelly, he was told by Judge Devlin that one of his victims was a “particularly vulnerable elderly gentleman” which would have left him “absolutely terrified.”

As well as being sent to prison, Skelly was banned from driving for five years as he came before the court with what Judge Devlin called a “quite staggering record of 34 previous convictions for no insurance.”