Burglar tells pensioner 'I want your cigs and your money'

A menacing burglar barged inside the home of a vulnerable, wheelchair-using 71-year-old man and repeatedly threatened him with a plank of wood during a terrifying attack.

Serial criminal Ashley Moss fled from the scene with £500 cash that he grabbed from the elderly man's wallet, as well as cigarettes and tobacco. The long history of offending by Moss included an earlier startlingly similar violent attack in which he used a plank of wood as a weapon, Hull Crown Court heard.

Moss, 36, of Earsham Close, off Shannon Road, Longhill estate, Hull, admitted aggravated burglary on February 16. He originally denied the offence and was due to face a trial but he changed his plea to guilty on the day that it was due to start.

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Benjamin Donnell, prosecuting, said that the pensioner used a wheelchair because one of his legs had been amputated due to diabetes. "He had a plethora of other health concerns, which made him vulnerable," said Mr Donnell.

The man was at his home on the Longhill estate at about 8.30pm. "He heard a knock on the door and saw the defendant holding a plank of wood," said Mr Donnell.

Moss pushed the pensioner – in his wheelchair – away from the door and into the front room and barged his way inside. He told the man: "I want your cigs and your money."

He held up the piece of wood at least three times, causing the man to fear that he might assault him with it.

"The defendant went to a sofa, pulled it out and grabbed a bag, which contained around £400-worth of Richmond cigarettes and Turner tobacco," said Mr Donnell.

Moss knew about the presence of the cigarettes in the house because he earlier had an encounter with a family member of the pensioner, the court heard. The family member had asked Moss if he wanted to buy any cigarettes.

Moss did not answer but he reappeared, now armed with the plank of wood, demanding the cigarettes from the the family member. They said that he did not have them because they were at the pensioner's home. Moss said that he would go to the pensioner's home and, shortly before the burglary, he ran there armed with the plank of wood.

During the confrontation at the pensioner's home, Moss pushed the victim and reached into his left jogging bottoms pocket, took his wallet and stole £500 from it. He threw the empty wallet back at the pensioner and left the house.

The elderly man telephoned the police. Moss was arrested on March 22.

During police interview, he accepted that a family member of the pensioner told him about the cigarettes and tobacco. He admitted that he went to the house and that he might have had a plank of wood with him. He accepted walking into the house and saying: "Where's the bacca?" and "Look, give me the bacca."

Moss admitted going over to the sofa, grabbing the tobacco and taking it out of the house. He denied hurting or threatening the pensioner with the plank of wood and claimed that the man let him into the house.

The pensioner said in a statement: "I felt sick when this man came into my home. He was a stranger that was pulling my furniture away.

"I felt like he was going to take me out of the wheelchair and he kept pushing me around. I felt vulnerable and alone." The court heard that the pensioner had later died but this was not connected with the burglary.

Moss had convictions for 56 previous offences between 2004 and last year. The most recent were inflicting grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.

Those offences involved Moss and another man following a man into a shop. Moss hit him with a plank of wood and the other man attacked him with a hammer. Moss had been jailed for 18 months.

The court heard that, after his arrest, Moss was remanded in custody. He had remained in custody while awaiting trial.

Gabrielle Coates, mitigating, said that Moss had pleaded guilty on the day of trial. He had been in custody on remand and he wanted to be sentenced straight away.

Moss was jailed for seven years and two months.