Window cleaners preyed upon man with memory loss
TWO window cleaners preyed on an elderly man, stealing a laptop containing the only photographs he had of his dead son.
Joe Tate, 22, and David Bradley, 27, have been jailed for targeting the man, who had suffered a brain haemorrhage.
-
David Bradley, left, and Joe Tate
In a victim impact statement read out at Hull Crown Court, the man's wife said: "They targeted my husband on one of the few occasions I went out and was not with him.
"I remember speaking to them both previously about his illness.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
"We both feel cheated by this offence. We feel they deliberately targeted us."
Knowing the man suffered memory problems, Tate and Bradley had waited for the man's wife to leave before knocking on the door of the couple's house in Bransholme.
They had gone to his home to ask if he wanted his windows cleaned, even though they had only done them just two days earlier.
Bradley noticed the laptop sitting on the table before he was told by the man to come back when his wife was home.
Tate then knocked on the front door, asking if the man wanted his gutters cleaning, giving Bradley the opportunity to break in through the back door and steal the computer.
Bradley sent Tate a text saying "Bang Now" to distract the victim.
The pair made off with the computer, worth £479, which contained photographs of the couple's son, who had died.
They both pleaded guilty to the burglary on July 5 after they were caught when neighbours reported them to police. Detectives discovered the text message on Tate's phone, which had been sent seconds before the burglary happened.
Tate has a previous conviction for a distraction burglary.
Judge Simon Jack said: "It was an extremely mean offence, committed against a very vulnerable man at a time when his full-time carer, his wife, was away.
"It caused a significant degree of sentimental loss to the victim. The material on the computer was irreplaceable.
"This is a case where the victim was deliberately targeted because of his vulnerability.
"You had been told by his wife of his difficulties which involved his memory loss and that made him an easy target. You picked a time when his carer was away and I'm satisfied this was not a coincidence. The two of you worked together to distract him to steal his laptop.
"There was a significant degree of planning and organisation."
Tate, of Borthwick Close, Bransholme, has been jailed for three and a half years and Bradley, of Blackhope Close, Bransholme, has been jailed for two years and four months.
Tate has 10 previous convictions including burglary convictions.
Comments
by merlin_
Wednesday, December 12 2012, 4:39PM
“Yet again, they both look the part. Societies verminous slime strikes again. Hardly a Drakonian sentence for such dross. This is further evidence to press for a sentence of 20 years or the option of 5 years and voluntary sterilisation for this class of criminal. We are far too soft. And the tragedy is there are many more out there as yet undetected. Read this well relatives friends and those in the know - and then shop 'em. Get used to life on the inside you inadequate, wasters. Never mind rehabilitation, lets go for incarceration, retribution and castration.”
by Hunnyb_2252
Wednesday, December 12 2012, 2:35PM
“Personally, I would say three strikes and you're out, how can the judicial system let these two get away with so many previous convictions? More to the point, how many judges are in the criminals back pockets?”
by David_Nivea
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 12:06PM
“"Tate has 10 previous convictions including burglary convictions."
How can anyone have 10 previous convictions for anything?
Surely, you'd think, after say 5 [being generous] it's 'Game Over' and 35 yrs of rock-breaking as 'rehabilitation' clearly doesn't work, unless the criminal wnats to be rehabilitated.
Meanwhile, lawyers drive about in big, shiny, new cars.
Ludicrous.”
by beeebo
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 9:17AM
“I think the neighbours need a mention in this, it seems like without them reporting it these two morons would not have been caught - need more neighbours like this in Hull it would help catch so many more criminals..”
by Hunnyb_2252
Sunday, December 09 2012, 10:30PM
“These two scumbags make me sick, glad they're both in prison, pity it wasn't a longer term. Judges take note, we want stiffer sentences for toe-rags like these who prey on the elderly and infirm, a slap on the wrist and ASBOs aren't a deterrent, prison is!!”
by glen1954
Sunday, December 09 2012, 5:01PM
“Hope they both enjoy looking out of their cell windows.”
by ColonelKurtz
Sunday, December 09 2012, 4:35PM
“Maybe it is time to have some kind of background check and licence to offer a personalised service like window cleaning, gardening, house cleaner, plumbers, etc.”
by audemars
Sunday, December 09 2012, 10:09AM
“Thenote about Tate having 10 previous convictions including burglary convictions shows that the criminal fraternity like window cleaning rounds as it gives them a chance to case houses as well as having a legitimate income. These low-lifes give genuine window cleaners a bad name.”
by Demonica666
Saturday, December 08 2012, 9:34PM
“I am sure that making a poster of these two bowel-worms and putting it in family planning clinics city-wide would at least half the pregnancy rate.”
by geejman
Saturday, December 08 2012, 8:25PM
“At last we seem to see that the Judges do have a Go to Jail card ......for local scum ....please continue ,the prisons have plenty of room ....Population of our prisons has DROPPED by 3000 in the last 12 months....yet we only hear when overcrowding is a problem ....BANG THE BUGGARS UP ....”