Teenager burglar given detention

A teenager who burgled the home of a wheelchair-bound Hertfordshire pensioner has been sentenced to three years in a young offenders institution.

John McCarthy, 19, from Luton, targeted Brian Samuels as he sat watching television in his flat in Croxton Green, St Albans Crown Court heard.

Another person distracted Mr Samuels while McCarthy stole £1,000.

Judge Stephen Warner said: "You are 19 and already have 33 convictions, a custodial sentence is inevitable."

Prosecutor Heather Shimmen said: "Mr Samuels had only recently moved following an operation that had gone wrong.

"He often left his door unlocked to enable easy access for himself and any visitors."

On 31 March this year, Mr Samuels was watching television in Grove Crescent, when he heard a rustling by his front door.

"He saw a man who said he had come to fix a leak and genuinely believed he was a council worker," said Ms Shimmen.

"He followed him to the bathroom in his wheelchair but became suspicious."

Targeting vulnerable people

As they left the bathroom he saw another man leaving his bedroom.

McCarthy, of Manning Place, Luton, later admitted he was the second man and pleaded guilty to one count of burglary.

McCarthy fled with more than £1,000 in cash through gardens but a police dog handler found him hiding in a shed.

The money was found nearby and given back to its owner.

McCarthy's lawyer, William Noble, said a "troubled family life" had led to him offending at an early age, and becoming hooked on drugs.

Judge Warner told McCarthy he had taken into account his history, his previous 33 convictions, and also his "lesser" part in the crime.

"These are serious and mean offences because they involved targeting elderly and vulnerable victims who are entitled to feel safe and secure in their own home," he said.