Terrified pensioner woke up to find man standing over him during shocking crime spree
Two heartless drug addicts who were desperate for some easy money cynically picked on a vulnerable pensioner and sneakily broke into his home while he slept.
The 72-year-old victim suddenly woke up in terror to find a man standing over him. The intruder's girlfriend, who knew the pensioner from her bullying previous encounters with him, appeared on the scene minutes later and she callously stole the victim's wallet after a struggle between the two men.
Both defendants also targeted other luckless people for a shocking series of separate robbery, burglary and theft offences. The victims included another pensioner, a complete stranger in the street and even a friend who had shown kindness to one of them by letting him stay at her home, Hull Crown Court heard.
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Nicola Holmes, 32, of Dunswell Close, off Greenwood Avenue, north Hull, and her then boyfriend, Dale Palframan, 34, of David Lister Drive, east Hull, admitted burglary on September 10 last year. Holmes also admitted robbery on December 24 and fraud on December 25.
Palframan also admitted a separate robbery on September 10 last year, burglary on December 27, theft between January 27 and 30, and robbery on February 8.
Burglary at pensioner's home
Connor Stuart, prosecuting, said that Holmes and Palframan broke into the home of a 72-year-old man, who lived alone, in Hull. He did not feel very well at the time and was lying on the floor of the living room.
He woke up to find Palframan standing over him, apologising and saying: "I'm really sorry for what I've done." There was a short struggle and the pensioner told Palframan: "Get out."
Holmes walked in and said: "Now boys, don't fight." She went over and grabbed the pensioner's wallet and took it. It had £60 to £80 cash in it and a bank card. The pensioner had lived there for 29 years but, because of the ordeal, he wanted to move.
Robbery of elderly man
The same day, at 6.30pm, Palframan and another man, who had not been identified, went to the home of another pensioner, who was eating his dinner in his living room.
Palframan put a coat over the occupier's head and the accomplice shouted: "Hurry up, hurry up" as the pensioner struggled and tried to remove the jacket from over his head.
Palframan went through his pockets and stole a wallet, containing his £150 pension money, and a mobile phone. The phone was the only means he had to contact someone and his health had become worse.
"Both men ran out of the property, lifted up the side of a garden fence and crawled underneath it," said Mr Stuart.
Robbery and fraud at Christmas
On Christmas Eve, Holmes approached a 34-year-old man from behind after he had been out drinking with friends for the evening. She approached him from behind and put her arm around him. He turned round and Holmes punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. She kicked him in the face, causing him to become unconscious.
She stole his wallet, mobile phone and keys. The victim was taken to hospital where he was found to have a deep cut to his nose that needed seven stitches. He also suffered scratches to his back, grazes to his knees, bruises to his cheek and swelling to his hand. Holmes used his bank card at a garage to buy or attempt to buy goods.
Grandmother's wedding ring stolen in burglary at woman's home
On December 27, Palframan broke into the home of a woman. She returned home from work at 10.50pm to find a large number of items missing.
The haul, valued at about £1,500, included a 42-inch TV, a 32-inch TV, a PlayStation 4, two guitars, a laptop, a frying pan set and two boxes of cat food.
He also stole jewellery, including her grandmother's wedding ring and a silver slider bracelet, together valued at £1,000. None of it had been recovered. A fingerprint found on a damaged back door was linked with Palframan.
Theft from a friend
On January 28, Palframan stole a lot of property from the home of a female friend who had kindly allowed him to stay there.
"She knew the defendant as a friend of hers," said Mr Stuart. "He was begging for somewhere to stay and so she stated that, as she was at her partner's, he could stay at her property for the night.
"She gave him the key and said she would be back around 9am next day." She returned the next morning after a school run. "Her property was locked and there was no answer from the defendant when she knocked to gain entry," said Mr Stuart.
"She telephoned her housing provider, who let her in the property. She then found a number of items missing."
The haul included a 60-inch TV, a lamp, a mirror, a headset, PlayStation games, work tools for plastering and bricklaying, valued at up to £10,000, and clothes, valued at £1,000.
From her young son's bedroom, items stolen were a 43-inch TV, another TV, Hull City memorabilia and clothes.
Robbery of a man's phone during struggle
On February 8, Palframan robbed a man, who was a friend of his mother, by taking his mobile phone. He had asked to borrow the phone after making himself some food.
Palframan tried to leave but the man grabbed the phone and there was a short struggle. Palframan ran out of the property with the phone. The occupier later noticed that another phone was missing.
Previous convictions
Holmes had convictions for 27 previous offences, including eight of assaults and two of dishonesty. She had been given a one-year community order on December 7 for theft against a 92-year-old man but she breached it.
Palframan had convictions for 20 previous offences, including one for assault and 15 of dishonesty. He was jailed for 12 weeks on March 12 for 14 shop thefts.
Mitigation
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, said that Holmes relapsed into drug taking after a family bereavement and a lengthy period of being of no fixed address. "This offending falls on the back of that addiction," said Miss Kioko-Gilligan.
Holmes had been in custody since April 13 and she was on the drug-free wing and was taking methadone now. "She is doing well," said Miss Kioko-Gilligan.
Previous convictions for Holmes included low-level violence and theft but she "accelerated from zero to ten" in the latest offences. She was remorseful and hoped to beat the drug addiction that had blighted her life.
Michael Forrest, representing Palframan, said that the defendant started committing crime late in life. He turned to Class A drugs.
"He fell in with the wrong crowd and started using crack cocaine and what he refers to as 'smack'," said Mr Forrest. Palframan was tired of causing misery to strangers and friends.
He had previously worked in property maintenance on caravans and, when he lost his job, it hit him hard and he fell into crime but he hoped that it would be a blip and that he would get back on track. "He hopes not to be back before the courts," said Mr Forrest.
"Money was tight and he fell in with the wrong crowd. It's not even a slippery slope – it's more of a cliff edge into an abyss."
Judge's view and sentencing
Judge Mark Bury told Holmes and Palframan: "Both of you have committed very serious offences and all because your life has spiralled out of control due to drug excess. It's no excuse."
They were both jailed for five-and-a-half years.