A burglar broke into a dead man’s home and stole bottles of champagne intended for his grieving children.
Frank Benet, 40, was on licence at the time, having been released early from a five year sentence imposed in 2018 for breaking into homes in East Anglia.
Prosecutor Cathy Olliver told Oxford Crown Court that the owner of the three-bed property in Whitehouse Road, off Abingdon Road, Oxford, targeted by Benet had only recently died.
The man’s grown-up children were taking it in turns to visit the property and ensure everything was in order.
On February 13 last year, the siblings met at the house before going out for a meal together.
When they returned, they discovered the property had been broken in to and an untidy search carried out inside.
The glass panel in the front door had been smashed and the burglar had searched several rooms in the house, including the father’s study where desk drawers had been left open. The children’s old bedrooms were also searched, Ms Olliver said.
The items taken included a ‘mobile phone of some age’ and Bluetooth headphones. The man’s son said in his statement that ‘bottles of champagne’ were missing, ‘which his father had bought to distribute as gifts to his children’.
Benet was identified as the man responsible from blood left on the smashed glass. He refused to be interviewed.
The burglar had a poor record, with 19 previous convictions for 67 offences. Of those, at least 20 were for house burglary.
Ms Olliver detailed his lengthy list for larceny, which started in 1999 with five break-ins.
In 2005, he was convicted of four dwelling house burglaries – and asked for a further 24 offences to be taken into consideration by the judge, so he could wipe the slate clean.
In 2010, he was dealt with for three further house break-ins. Two years later, he was sentenced for another four burglaries. In 2016, he was convicted of another house burglary.
His latest burglary convictions dated from September 2018, when he was sentenced in Norfolk for five years and four months for four break-ins. According to reports, he also owned up to a further 21 burglaries in Norfolk and Suffolk.
Appearing before Oxford Crown Court on Friday via video link from Ranby Prison, Benet, formerly of HMP Oakwood, pleaded guilty to a single count of burglary.
Recorder Shamim Qureshi jailed him for 877 days. That sentence – usually expressed in days – is the minimum three-year term given to ‘third strike’ burglars, minus a discount for his guilty plea.
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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.
To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward
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