Woman tried to break into five Hull houses in series of bungled burglary attempts
A woman desperately tried to break into five different houses during a chaotic series of bungled attempted burglaries, including three on the same day and another on New Year's Eve.
She was foiled after police were alerted when a suspicious-looking woman was spotted on CCTV pictures and on telltale images from the doorbell cameras of some of the properties involved in the failed break-in missions, Hull Crown Court heard.
Heidi Richmond, 34, of east Hull, admitted five offences of attempted burglary with intent to steal, including three on January 7 and others on December 16 and 31.
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The court heard that police were alerted after Richmond was spotted on CCTV and doorbell cameras in the early hours of the morning on January 7. She had been trying to get into various houses as well as interfering with vehicles.
Richmond targeted a house in Marfleet Lane, east Hull, on December 16 and a property in Ingland Court, off Marfleet Avenue, east Hull, on December 31.
In a spree of three attempted burglaries on January 7, she tried to enter two different properties in Cranswick Grove, also off Marfleet Avenue, and another in Ingland Court.
She had been given a nine-month suspended prison sentence at a hearing on April 5 as well as 150 hours' unpaid work, six months' drug rehabilitation and 20 days' rehabilitation.
At the time, she was in custody on remand and she was given the chance of help through a suspended sentence because of her time behind bars.
But the case resurfaced when she was brought back before the court for breaching the terms of the suspended sentence. She admitted failing to comply with rehabilitation on May 23 by failing to attend a probation service office appointment and failing to attend for an unpaid work session on August 6.
Ashley Lambert-Jefferson, prosecuting for the probation service, told a resumed hearing that Richmond had now completed 97 hours of unpaid work and had 53 hours left. She had done four days' rehabilitation and had 16 days still to do. Richmond had not committed any further offences, said Mr Lambert-Jefferson.
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Richmond told the court that, before she was given the suspended prison sentence, she had been in custody on remand for four or five months. She was on methadone at the time that she left prison and she was still on this.
Richmond claimed that she breached the suspended sentence after suffering "a bad couple of weeks" and that she sometimes had "these spells".
She was now "stable" again and was getting help with a previous drug problem. "I feel like I am in a good place," she said. "Boredom and stress can be my biggest triggers."
Judge Richard Woolfall warned Richmond that she faced being jailed again if she did not complete the court order. "You have had difficulties in the past and you have been sent back to prison," said Judge Woolfall.
Unemployed Richmond was fined £50 for the breaches. "That might not sound a lot to some people but I suspect that, for you on Universal Credit, that's quite a bit," said Judge Woolfall.
"Keep going with the order. If you do breach it again, you have had a chance this time, so I hope you manage to get it sorted out, then you can forget about it. Nobody particularly wants you to go back to prison but that's very much in your hands. Get it completed."
There had been breaches of suspended sentences in the past after previous court orders were given to Richmond and they had been activated, said Judge Woolfall.