Robbed two elderly people

Lawrence Creaney, aged 26, whose address was given as Edenderry Park, Banbridge, pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary, one of assault and another of attempted burglary.

Craigavon Crown Court heard that on November 22, 2012, police were called to an address at Woodside Green in Portadown. An 85 year old woman told police she had awakened from her sleep to find a man beside her bed with a wooden baton.

She also discovered that the batteries had been removed from her mobile phone but she managed to retrieve batteries to call the police. Her TV was missing plus a watch and between £80-£100 from her handbag. She also discovered a downstairs window had been smashed.

When officers responded they discovered another burglary in the neighbourhood. Police had found a neighbour’s window open and a woman told how she had heard a door closing but had thought it was her son coming home. Later that night a man was spotted at the back door of another house nearby.

A woman and her daughter had been asleep upstairs. The woman had told police she had definitely locked up but had discovered the kitchen cupboards rifled through. The defendant was later arrested close to his own family home in Woodside area of Portadown.

Later on November 25, a 65 year old man was wakened by loud banging in the living room of his ground floor flat in Park Road. He got up and met the accused who punched him on the nose and dragged him into the living room. The defendant stole coins the pensioner had collected and prescription medication. Later that same night he was found trying to break into a house in Ballyoran Park.

For attempted burglary with intent on November 25, Creaney was given a three and a half year sentence. He is to serve 18 months in jail and the rest on licence. He was also ordered to pay an offenders levy of £50. For assault on the same date, he was given a nine months sentence and for burglary on the same date he was given nine months in jail.

Creaney was given a two year sentence for burglary on November 22 one of which is on licence. For two other counts of burglary on the same date he was given two years each with a licence period of one year. All sentences to run concurrently.