Hindley Green: Burglar broke into family's shed

Layton Kennedy, 43, targeted the shed at a house on Bellingham Drive in Wigan on August 29 2021.

Bolton Crown Court heard how the family had been out at the time.

Prosecutor Eleanor Myers said: “The door of the property was locked, the windows were locked and importantly the family say that a shed in the rear of the property was also locked.”

Ms Myers told the court that the family arrived back to find the shed windows broken, a crowbar on the lawn and could see Kennedy, of Cinnamon Avenue, Hindley Green, walking away.

The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

According to Ms Myers, Kennedy told them he was “looking for a job” and when they filmed him leaving said he would “call his dad, then they wouldn’t be so tough.”

Police were called and Kennedy, who has 52 previous convictions for 113 offences going back to 1999 was arrested.

He gave no comment when interviewed by police but it also emerged that that same day he had tried to burgle a nearby cottage.

Kennedy eventually pleaded guilty to burglary of a dwelling and to attempted burglary.

Ms Myers told the court that though his crimes did not appear to have been planned, Kennedy’s victims had feared that he could have been armed.

Simon Blakeborough, defending, said that Kennedy had since worked hard to address his illicit drug use and pointed out that he had engaged well with probation services.

He also said that he was entitled to credit for having pleaded guilty and that he understood he would be brought back to court if he committed any further crimes.

Mr Blakeborough said: “ I expect and hope for the reasons set out in the report that this won’t happen.”

Judge Eliot Knopf reminded Kennedy of the effect he had had on his victims.

He said: “As is often the case with burglary nowadays, they would have been fearful that you would have been armed.”

But he accepted the progress that the defendant had made since then.

Judge Knopf said: “It seems to me this is progress that should be consolidated and continued.”

He sentenced Kennedy to an 18 month community order, with 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a three month curfew confining him to his home between 7pm and 7am.