Bicycling burglar targeted 80-year-old woman at her West Yorkshire bungalow during lockdown

Luke Kelly was jailed for 27 months after a court heard how he took advantage of the victim when he spotted her out in her front garden while out riding his bike.

The 32-year-old went round to the back of the bungalow in Dalton, Huddersfield, and gained entry to the property before stealing her purse from the sofa.

Kelly was challenged by a neighbour who saw him leaving the property, on March 27, but he claimed he had not been inside.

The crack cocaine addict then used bank cards from the purse to buy £137 worth of property from local shops.

The victim noticed the purse was missing and police were contacted.

Michael Smith, prosecuting, said the offences were aggravated by the fact that they were committed after lockdown was imposed and because the victim was elderly and vulnerable.

The court heard Kelly had been made the subject of a community order just days before the offence for breaking into a barber's shop and stealing from a Tesco store.

Kelly, of Harold Wilson Court, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to burglary, fraud and breach of a community order.

He has previous convictions for burglary dating back to 2001.

Anastasis Tasou, mitigating, said Kelly had been out of trouble for many years but returned to offending after becoming addicted to crack cocaine.

Mr Tasou said Kelly had not gone out with the intention of targeting a vulnerable victim but had taken his opportunity when he saw the pensioner in the garden.

Jailing Kelly, Judge Christopher Batty said: "There you were, four days after lockdown had been imposed, out on your bike.

"These are serious and mean offences.

"This was the deliberate targeting of an elderly, vulnerable victim who you saw outside the front of her property as you passed.

"You were out for what you could get that day to feed your addiction.

"She could, at any time, have been confronted had she returned to her property."

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