Moment when prolific burglar, 57, breaks into pensioner’s house while she sleeps while crook gets four years in prison
John Donakey, 57, was sentenced to four years in prison today after a string of offences
Footage shows the moment he broke into a retirement home while she was asleep
He can be seen wearing black gloves as he searches through her draws and wallet
He was found guilty of nine counts of burglary and went equipped for theft
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This is when a prolific burglar, known for targeting older people, sneaks into a sleeping retiree’s home while her horrified family watches on CCTV – while he is sentenced to four years in prison.
The serial crook, John Donakey, 57, crept into the woman’s house before donning black gloves to poke through drawers, a bag and a wallet.
He had previously looked through the window and seen the woman sleeping before entering through the door on the other side of the house in Cumbria.
Fortunately, the victim’s family saw the incident on a Ring doorbell camera and called 999.
Officers went to the residence but were unable to locate Donakey in time. The next day, after making inquiries with the locals, they found a vehicle that was not a normal location in the area.
Burglar John Donakey, 57, (pictured) crawled into the woman’s house before donning black gloves to dig through drawers, a bag and a wallet
Before breaking in, he was seen looking through the window and the woman sleeping before entering through the door on the other side of the house in Cumbria. Fortunately, the woman’s family caught the break-in on Ring doorbell camera
Police then saw Donakey get out of the vehicle and walk into an estate in Penrith. He was then arrested.
Donakey had targeted older residents in the Penrith and Kendal area.
Today the burglar, from St Helens in Merseyside, has been sentenced to four years in prison on nine counts of burglary and one offense of equipping for theft.
The incidents all took place between 2018 and June of this year.
Donakey (pictured) of St Helens in Merseyside, was sentenced to four years in prison on nine counts of burglary and one offense of equipping for theft
Detective Constable Karen Minnion said: ‘Donakey is a prolific burglar who had no problem entering properties without respect for residents and apologized for his presence when disturbed.
“After his arrest in June 2022, we were able to link his DNA to another burglary in 2020.
“We also looked at historic 2018 burglaries with similar circumstances in Kendal and the victims were able to identify Donakey as the person who entered their homes.”
In October 2020, Donakey was found in a Penrith building after the resident heard noises from above.
The victim went upstairs to verify the noise and saw shadows in the bedroom before Donakey pushed open the door, pushing and sliding past the victim before fleeing the scene.
In July 2018, Donakey was disturbed twice in the same property and in another Kendal property. He apologized every time he was disturbed, on one occasion he claimed to have looked for someone before fleeing.
DC Minnion continues ‘Everyone should feel safe in their own home, if you have experienced anything like this please report it to us, we take these violations extremely seriously.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the vigilance of communities who supported this investigation, as they saw Donakey in the area before the incidents.”
“Today’s sentencing shows that those who commit such offenses will be found and brought to justice.”