Man who preyed on vulnerable Accrington pensioner targeting him twice jailed
A man has been jailed for targeting a vulnerable pensioner twice in the space of a few days.
Michael Boothby, 41, of Dutton Street, Accrington, twice targeted a vulnerable man in his own home, carrying out a robbery and a distraction burglary in the space of a few days.
Boothby targeted his victim, a man in his 60s, in February this year.
The court heard that at around 5.10am on Friday, February 7, the victim heard banging on the front door at his address in Accrington.
When he answered the door, Boothby and a second man forced their way into the property and punches were thrown at the victim.
He suffered swelling and abrasions around his eyebrows.
A wallet containing cash and a bank card were then taken from the victim’s jacket pocket.
During Lancashire Police's investigation into the robbery, enquiries found that Boothby had been involved in a distraction burglary at the man’s address a few days earlier where a mobile phone had been stolen.
He appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence on Thursday, June 12, after pleading guilty to charges of robbery and burglary.
He was jailed for seven years for the robbery and 30 months for the burglary, with the sentences ordered to run consecutively – nine-and-a-half years in total.
Detective Constable Phillipa Crompton of Blackburn CID, said: “The victim should have felt safe in his own home but was twice targeted by Michael Boothby who carried out a robbery and a burglary.
“Boothby preyed on a vulnerable man, and I welcome the lengthy prison sentence imposed on him by the judge.”