Burglar steals 16,000 CASH given as wedding gifts during break-in at terraced home in Coventry

A burglar thought he had hit the jackpot when he found envelopes containing a total of more than 16,000 after breaking into a terraced house.

The cash had been given by friends and relatives as wedding gifts to the owners son and his bride, a judge has heard.

Brendon Dacres, 22, of Elmsdale Avenue, Foleshill, Coventry, pleaded guilty at the crown court in Leamington to the burglary.

He was jailed for 20 months consecutive to a six-month sentence he is already serving for an attempted burglary for which he was on bail at the time.

Prosecutor Lal Amarasinghe said that on October 10 the householder left his end-of-terrace home in Coundon and when he returned that afternoon the back-door key was in the lock from the inside.

He managed to get in and found that the patio doors were open and the downstairs rooms had been rummaged through.

A total of 16,670 in cash had been taken, and Mr Amarasinghe explained that the owners son had recently got married, and the money was in envelopes friends and relatives had given to the couple, who were said to be devastated.

In addition jewellery, some of it of sentimental value, worth 4,780 and two laptops with family photos on them had been stolen.

A spot of blood found outside the patio doors was subsequently identified as matching Dacres, who was later arrested at his home less than half a mile away, but none of his haul was recovered.

He denied the offence, claiming he had been at a friends home during the day and had left at around 3pm and walked straight home but later pleaded guilty.

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Burglar steals 16,000 CASH given as wedding gifts during break-in at terraced home in Coventry