Man who targeted retired police officer in Lancashire during burglary spree jailed
A retired police officer broke down in court as he described the impact a burglary at his Clayton-le-Woods home had on his family.
Nigel Goddard said the callous break-in had made him furious with himself that, despite years as a bobby, he hadn’t taken security seriously enough.
Mr Goddard’s property in Clayton-le-Woods was one of six targeted by a pair of roaming burglars who travelled over from West Yorkshire on a robbing spree.
Another family in Buckshaw Village were also victims of Brendon Bell and his accomplice.
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Like the Goddards, they lost valuable jewellery including “priceless” sentimental pieces, many of which have never been recovered.
Bell, of Main Avenue, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to five burglaries and one attempted burglary when he appeared at Preston Crown Court.
The 22-year-old was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after appearing at the same court on August 7.
The court was told that, before arriving in Lancashire, Bell and his partner in crime had raided three houses in Cheshire and North Wales and attempted to break into a fourth.
In the last house the husband, who was awaiting heart surgery, was in bed connected to a heart pump.
His wife heard a loud bang and disturbed the pair trying to drill the lock on the French doors, causing them to flee empty-handed.
Two days later they crossed the Pennines again, this time to strike in Lancashire, breaking into two homes while the occupants were out.
In the first in Buckshaw Village they searched through drawers and cupboards and made off with jewellery and a Play Station 5 gaming console, together worth around £2,000.
Two miles away in Clayton-le-Woods they forced their way into the Goddards’ home and ransacked rooms, leaving the contents of drawers and cupboards strewn across the floor.
Amongst up to £3,000 worth of items stolen were diamond, gold and silver jewellery and £740 in cash, together with the couple’s passports.
Mr Goddard asked to read out a statement from the witness box as Bell looked on impassively from the dock.
He told judge Unsworth the couple had lived at the address for four years and thought it was “a very quiet, nice residential area” with a lot of retired people in the neighbourhood. “But our feeling of being safe and content has been taken away from us.”
He said his wife now felt paranoid and anxious and on the verge of tears much of the time. “A lot of this has been delayed shock, just coming to terms with what has happened,” he added.
“I should have made the house more secure, but I allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security. As an ex-police officer I am more upset with myself.”
He said they had now spent more than £2,000 on security equipment following the burglary in an attempt to get peace of mind.
A lot of their neighbours had also improved their security in the wake of the break-in.
In tears he told the judge: “We didn’t deserve to be burgled and we didn’t deserve to be put through this knowing a stranger has been in our home. It’s just horrible.
“I find it very sad that a young man who has got all his life in front of him has seen fit to pursue a career of burgling people’s houses rather than going out trying to do a job.
“The only time it will hit him is perhaps in years to come when he has a family and has to tell them that stuff he would have passed on to family members is no longer there to pass on - and his wife feels insecure and violated.”
Bell was caught after a car tracked at all the burglary locations was stopped in Halifax after a chase. A search of the car and his house turned up some of the stolen property.
He claimed he had taken cocaine on the night of the raids in North Wales and Cheshire.
His defence barrister Henry Fernandez told Judge Unsworth: “He says he is deeply regretful of his actions.”
Bell, he said, had committed the burglaries because he had run up a drug debt of around £1,000 and was being threatened if he didn’t repay it. He had started taking cocaine after the breakdown of a relationship.
PC Matt Uren, of Northwich Proactive Policing Team, said: “Bell is a prolific offender and I welcome the sentence that has been handed to him by the courts.
“Burglary is an absolutely terrifying offence. No one should have to wake up to find the place where they should feel safe has been broken into and their belongings have been stolen. The emotional impact of this cannot be underestimated.
“Thankfully, we were able to identify Bell as the offender, thanks to the evidence gathered by the team here at Northwich Proactive Team.”