Burglar swigged Champagne in Hove raid (From The Argus)
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Burglar swigged Champagne in Hove raid
8:55am Thursday 11th October 2012 in News By Ben Parsons
Paul Clough, sentenced to four years for burglary
A burglar swigged champagne after ransacking a pensioner’s home.
Paul Clough was caught with the fizz when police arrived at the terrified woman’s house in Hove in August.
He and accomplice James “Jinksy” Dean, both of New Steine Mews, Hove, were sentenced to four years each for the crime yesterday (October 10).
The 85-year-old woman was in bed at about 10pm on August 25 when she heard noises in her semi-detached house.
She called police and when she answered the door to them they found Dean, 51, standing behind her.
He claimed he was doing gardening work for her – but the officers found jewellery in his pockets.
They went upstairs and found Clough drinking champagne swiped from the house in a room which was described as “turned upside-down”.
Clough, 38, claimed it was his aunt’s house and said he could not remember her name because of short-term memory loss.
He too had taken jewellery and both men admitted burglary.
The woman gave a statement saying she thought she was going to be held hostage.
Since the attack she has found it hard to leave the house or even get out of bed.
Clough had 38 convictions for 91 offences, while Dean had 38 convictions for 119 offences.
Tony Loader, defending both men, said: “They are very tragic people whose lives have been ruined by both drugs and alcohol.”
'Career criminals'
Passing sentence, Judge Richard Hayward told the men: “You are both career criminals.”
Dean was on bail at the time of the burglary after being charged with dealing heroin to an |undercover police officer in Brighton.
When the officer asked him for drugs in an operation last year, he spat a parcel out of his mouth and sold him two “wraps” of heroin for £20.
The court was told it was his third drug-dealing crime.
He was jailed for 12 weeks in November last year for dealing a class A drug, and had a further conviction from 1987.
He was sentenced to nine months in prison, to run consecutively to the burglary term.
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Comments(7)
Shonky
says...
10:15am Thu 11 Oct 12
Try Brighton, off St James's Street.
Takes only 30 seconds on Google Maps to discover such things, if you don't have the local knowledge.
Or you could even check your previous story (the one that you linked to in the copy), which says that the offenders lived in a hostel in New Steine Mews, Brighton.
Surely you can't be in such a hurry that you can't check such basic and publicly available facts. Makes one worry about the credibility of the rest of your reports.
Stoves
says...
10:16am Thu 11 Oct 12
Goldenwight
says...
10:46am Thu 11 Oct 12
His books are extremely funny, but I think even HE would baulk at including details such as are given here, thinking that they are just too ridiculous for words.
Such as doing gardening work at 10pm' or forgetting your own Aunt's name due to temporary memory loss.
They may certainly be 'career criminals' but perhaps it is time they considered a more appropriate career- like clowns, maybe?
rolivan
says...
1:21pm Thu 11 Oct 12
Mr Loader why not spend your spare time helping people with drug and alcohol dependancy if you feel so strongly.
F in L
says...
1:54pm Thu 11 Oct 12
....both of New Steine Mews, Hove, were sentenced to four years each for the crime yesterday (October 10).
jenny_189
says...
11:46pm Thu 11 Oct 12
qm says...
10:09am Thu 11 Oct 12
Makes note: Buy new street map . . . .