Man jailed for burgling home of unwell Harrogate resident while he rested in bed

Elderly man dies in Harrogate collision - police appeal for information

Career criminal Andrew Hunter, 39, climbed through an open window into the ground-floor flat in Stonefall Avenue as the victim was sleeping, York Crown Court heard.

The victim - who had only been living at the property for four months - was awoken by “rustling” coming from the living room where Hunter and his sidekick Ryan Mulvaney, 45, were helping themselves to an envelope containing £1,000 cash.

He went to investigate and saw two men disappearing out of a rear window, said prosecutor James Howard.

He said the victim had left the window open to let in some fresh air because he was feeling unwell.

Hunter, of Knaresborough, was arrested about two weeks later after police found the burglars’ fingerprints on the window. He and Mulvaney were charged with burglary which occurred at about 11am on August 25, 2019.

Harrogate residents urged not to travel as more snow set to fall

Mulvaney, a drug addict and career burglar, was jailed for three years and four months in October last year after admitting the offence. He, like Hunter, had a prolific criminal record comprising more than 100 offences.

Hunter admitted burglary in September but then went to ground and failed to turn up at the Crown Court for a preliminary hearing in October. He finally appeared for sentence via video link on Wednesday after also pleading guilty to skipping bail.

Mr Howard told the court: “(The victim) was at home, in bed, in his ground-floor flat in a three-storey terrace property.

“He heard some rustling from his living room and could see the back of the two defendants escaping out of an open window.

“He conducted a search and found that the defendants had stolen an envelope containing £1,000 in cash.”

The cash, which had been taken from a storage box under the window, was never recovered.

The court heard that Hunter’s 25-year criminal history comprised 42 previous convictions for 105 offences including burglary, heroin dealing, theft, arson, violence, handling stolen goods and carrying weapons. At the time of the burglary in Harrogate, he was subject to a community order for criminal damage and other offences.

Lauren Hebditch, for Hunter, said the father-of-three’s prolific record could be partly explained by a long-standing drug problem.

Jailing Hunter for 17 months, judge Simon Hickey said the “sneak-in” burglary was aggravated by the defendant’s bad criminal record.

Road closures may lead to business closures says Independent Harrogate

Hunter’s partner-in-crime Mulvaney, of Knaresborough Road, Harrogate, was on prison licence at the time of the raid.