Burglar caught after getting locked in garden by accomplices
A burglar who landed himself in a police cell after his accomplices locked him out of the property they broke into has been locked up.
Shamin Hussain acted as a ‘look-out’ for the two men as they burgled a pensioner’s home and snatched her savings.
The 20-year-old was caught after the frightened woman called police when she heard noises coming from her Smethwick home.
Sentencing, Judge Dean Kershaw condemned the burglar for the ‘unpleasant offence’ and detained him in a young offenders’ institute for 32 months.
He said the burglary had a ‘huge impact’ on the pensioner, adding: “Thankfully for her, at the time of this offence she was next door to at her neighbour’s.
“She must have been petrified hearing the noise. It causes real distress when things like that are discovered.
“This is the third time you have been a menace to people’s safety in their homes.
"This is too serious for it not to be immediate custody. I hope you learn a lesson from this.”
The three burglars, who left gloves and glasses at the scene, smashed their way into the property before ‘ransacking’ it at around 11pm.
Police rushed to Kimberley Road after the pensioner raised the alarm, with officers spotting two men jumping over fences in an bid to flee.
The defendant was then discovered standing in the back garden during the November 2015 burglary. Hussain, of Laurel Drive, Smethwick, tried to run off but was caught by officers, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard on Friday.
The then 72-year-old later realised cash she had been saving to pay her utility bills had been taken, along with two ‘sentimental’ gold bangles.
She has since revealed she ‘feared for her safety’ and the burglary has affected her health.
Defence barrister Mr Simon Rippon said Hussain was locked in the back of the garden by the other two perpetrators.
He said: “He was drawn into a plan formulated by two others. He joined in willingly, knowing what was going to happen, and knowing it was not lawful.”
