A 26-year-old man with eight previous housebreaking convictions has been sentenced to nine years and six months in prison for burglarising the home of an 84-year-old woman.
Mark Willock was sentenced by High Court Judge Justice John Spencer following his conviction for burglary in a judge-alone trial earlier this year.
The court heard that the elderly woman, who operates a village shop attached to her home, was asleep on January 9, 2023, when noises inside the house woke her.
She initially believed the sounds were being made by her son, who had visited the property several times previously.
However, after hearing her back and kitchen doors rattling and receiving no response when she called out, she got out of bed and switched on the hallway light leading to the kitchen.
It was then that she encountered Willock, whom she immediately recognised as someone who had grown up in her village.
According to the evidence, Willock pulled a mask over his face after she had already seen and recognised him.
A confrontation followed, during which the woman began screaming. Willock threatened to kill her if she did not stop and pushed her, causing her to fall.
