Burglar targeted couple at home after bus stop row

A burglar who targeted a vulnerable couple in their home a day after they told him off for trying to skip a bus queue has been jailed for three years.

Anthony Young, 45, claimed he went to the home of the pair, who did not know him, to apologise, but then forced his way in and stole the man's wallet following a scuffle, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The woman said she believed he found out where they lived and went to their home in Walker, Newcastle, with an "intention to steal" during the "terrifying" ordeal.

Young, who had 93 offences on his criminal record and is a third-strike burglar, admitted burglary at the start of his trial.

On 9 September 2022, the couple remonstrated with Young, who also lived in Walker, after he attempted to cut to the front of a queue to board a bus, prosecutor Gurjot Kaur said.

At about 18:00 BST, the following day he turned up at their address telling them he wanted to apologise for his behaviour at the bus stop, the court heard.

He then pushed his way into the couple's kitchen, produced a silver knife which he tried to sell to them and then grabbed the man's wallet which contained £200, the court heard.

The man, who had motor neurone disease and needed the assistance of a stick to walk, tried to stop him but Young was able to flee, causing the victim an arm injury in the process, Kaur said.

The woman told the court she now felt "anxious" all the time, for which she had been prescribed medication, and was "scared" Young might return.

"Due to our age and conditions we were unable to physically defend ourselves," the woman said, adding she feared they could have been stabbed had they resisted more.

She said it was a "huge invasion" of the couple's privacy and security, adding: "No-one has the right to force their way into your home and steal."

The couple had to spend money installing security cameras, the court heard, but still felt "scared and vulnerable" because of their "terrifying experience".

"Given our interaction the previous morning, I believe he somehow found out where we lived and came to our address with the intention to steal and use a knife against us if we resisted," the woman said.

Recorder Ruwena Khan said she "would be surprised" if his picking of the couple's home was "coincidental", telling Young: "It seems to me you have targeted vulnerable individuals."

The judge said Young entered "the sanctity of their home without a care" for them, adding: "I cannot imagine how horrifying that must have been."

Young was also ordered to pay the couple £200 compensation.

Follow BBC Newcastle on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen to Radio Newcastle on BBC Sounds.