A burglar walked into a vulnerable woman’s home, stole bank cards, and then withdrew £100 which he promptly blew playing slots. James Brudenell, 42, entered the house in Hinchliffe, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, through the front door at about noon on 30 January and stole a purse.
The victim, who is in her 70s, and was in the bathroom at the time, has since been left feeling scared in her own home.
Within an hour, Brudenell had spent £100 using the stolen bank cards at Little Vegas, in Broadway, Peterborough.
Later that day, he also entered Budgens in Sugar Way, Woodston, Peterborough, where he filled a plastic bag with £33.39 worth of meat and picked up some energy drinks.
He tried to pay for the energy drinks with the stolen bank cards, but the transaction declined so he abandoned the drinks and stole the meat.
After being identified by CCTV operators, Brudenell, of no fixed abode, was arrested in Mill Road, Cambridge, on 6 February.
He appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Wednesday (6 March), where he was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting burglary, two counts of committing fraud by false representation, and theft from shop.
PC Hannon, who investigated, said: “When sentencing Brudenell, the judge acknowledged that this was his third burglary conviction, and the impact that he had on his victim, a woman in her 70s, who is vulnerable and has been left scared in her home.
“I would like to thank the victim for reporting the crime to us, as we were able to quickly arrest and put Brudenell before the courts before he was able to offend again.”
Advice on how best to protect your home from burglary can be found on the force’s dedicated webpages.
