Burglar caught after victims’ cat scratched his face in raid and DNA linked him to the crime
A BURGLAR was caught after a cat scratched his face in the raid.
Toothless the moggy attacked raider Connor Gorton, 18, when he broke into its owners home, a court heard.
And when forensics teams found Gorton’s blood on the walls the DNA linked him to the crime.
A court heard after cocaine addict Gorton raided the house, in Burnley, Lancs, with an accomplice his victims received a phone call taunting them hours later.
And in the morning, victim Beth Carr noticed Toothless was limping and there was blood on the walls, leading her to believe it had attacked the burglar.
When police arrested Gorton they found scratch marks on his face.
ROBBED IN THEIR SLEEP
The court heard Ms Carr and her fiancee were asleep in their home in the early hours of April 19 when Gorton broke in.
Prosecuting, Stephen Parker told Burnley Crown Court, Ms Carr received a call from her partner’s stolen mobile phone.
The couple went downstairs and found the front door was unlocked and they had been burgled.
Ms Carr then received texts suggesting the burglars were across the road watching what was going on.
She then received a text saying the burglar would sell them the stolen items back for £500.
Among the items taken were two mobile phones, an Xbox One console and a PlayStation worth an estimated £1,200.
LIMPING CAT
Mr Parker said: “It was forensic evidence that linked the defendant to the scene in two ways. Both fingerprints from a plug socket and some blood on the wall.
“Ms Carr noticed that morning when she came downstairs that her cat was limping. The cat is called Toothless and she wondered whether the cat might have clawed the burglar. She said it could be quite aggressive with people it didn’t know.”
In another incident, a BMW X5 M sport was stolen from a house in nearby Colne.
Gorton denied any involvement in the burglary, but the son of the BMW owner was told the defendant had been seen driving it and found a video of him at the wheel on Facebook.
The court heard Gorton, of Colne, was arrested in relation to the burglary and BMW offences and released on bail.
While on bail he committed another burglary and aggravated vehicle taking at a property in Colne, stealing a £60,000 Range Rover.
The victim posted on social media that his car had been stolen and at 11am the following day he was sent a link to Gorton’s Instagram account.
On there was a video of the car being driven off his driveway.
Gorton, who has seven convictions for 16 offences, pleaded guilty to two burglaries, aggravated vehicle taking, two thefts and driving without a licence and insurance.
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Defending, Isobel Thomas said her client had a number of difficulties in his childhood and had been using drugs since he was 14.
Sentencing Gorton to 36 months in a young offenders institution, Recorder David Temkin said: “You are still only 18 and that is a very important factor in this case.”
Gorton was banned from driving for 30 months.
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