Burglar jailed and labelled 'despicable' for betraying family who helped him

A burglar who stole a laptop containing precious photographs and videos of a Suffolk woman’s dead partner after she had helped him by putting a roof over his head has been jailed for 50 months.

Sentencing Alfie Corley, Judge Martyn Levett described what he’d done as “despicable” and said that as well as stealing the laptop he’d stolen a tablet device with a voice app used by the woman’s disabled daughter to communicate with her family.

He said he had betrayed the victim of the burglary and had “bitten the hand that fed him”.

“You should feel ashamed,” said the judge.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that on the day of the burglary Corley had sat listening to music at the woman’s home in Burdock Road, Red Lodge, and had asked for her money.

He had then given her a lift to Mildenhall and knowing the house was empty he’d returned and stolen a laptop, Bluetooth speaker, tablet device and stereo unit.

The victim returned home later and realised there had been a burglary after noticing a key which she had left in the patio door was missing.

Corley was identified as the burglar after police studied neighbours’ Ring doorbell and CCTV footage which showed  Corley and another person leaving the house with items which he had put in a caravan attached to his car.

In a statement read to the court the victim of the burglary said she’d helped Corley by putting a roof over his head and getting him accommodation in a hostel.

She described him as “ungrateful”  and said she had helped him because she knew his family. “ I never thought he would burgle me. If he’d asked I would have helped him,” she said.

She said that as a result of what had happened she would never help someone in the way she had helped Corley.

Her children had been left devastated by the theft of the laptop which contained precious and irreplaceable videos and photographs of their dead father.

She said Corley had also stolen her disabled daughter’s tablet device which helped her communicate with her family and she’d had to borrow another one because she couldn’t afford to replace it,

Corley, 42, of Vicarage Close, Swaffham Bulbeck, admitted burglary and fraud by false representation by trying to sell items stolen during the burglary at Cash Converters in Bury St Edmunds.