Luton man jailed for stealing from an elderly lady

A man from Luton has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for burglary and stealing from an elderly lady.
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James Keenan, 59, of Third Avenue, was sentenced on Friday, May 10, after being found guilty of one count of burglary and theft, one count of attempted and for breach of a Criminal Behavioural Order.

On 19 September 2017, Keenan approached an elderly lady as she made her way home after collecting her pension to see if she wanted any work doing.

She declined, but he followed her, demanded money from her, entered her house, took her purse from her hand and took £60 from it. He then returned to her house at around 10pm and demanded more money.

James KeenanJames Keenan
James Keenan

In a statement the victim’s daughter said: “Unfortunately, my mother passed away just over a year after this happened. I would say that my mother’s personality had completely changed as a result of this incident as it really knocked her confidence. I recall occasions where she would often call to tell me that she had seen him again, and she was so upset by it, she stopped going out entirely.

“I can’t say that he is responsible for my mother’s death, as that would neither be fair or true, but I can say with certainty that he is responsible for changing her personality. She went from being bubbly, giggly and confident to someone who was scared in her own home and scared to leave it as well. This changed her quality of life in her final year.”

DS Zac Kozlowski, said: “We are pleased that Keenan received a substantial custodial sentence after subjecting his victim to a frightening ordeal which had a huge impact on the way she lived the last year of her life. I hope this time in prison will give him some time to reflect on his actions and also act as a message to anyone else who believes that burglary, or targeting the most vulnerable in our society, is acceptable, and we will not tolerate this type of behaviour in our county.”