A “professional burglar” who held a vulnerable pensioner prisoner for over three hours had amassed 16 convictions while he was still a teenager.
David Taylor (43) once carried out a string of eight burglaries in one week to fund his drug habit, but in his latest burglary he attacked an 86-year-old woman leaving her suffering from depression and PTSD.
Taylor who was sentenced for his most recent offence last week, has been described as a “professional burglar” and has recorded 118 convictions.
In 2013, while out on licence for dangerous driving and serving a suspended sentence for a burglary committed in 2011, Taylor targeted temporarily empty houses in a week-long blitz.
He was later identified after selling some of the stolen items at a pawn shop.
Taylor committed his first burglaries as a teenager, developing a criminal record connected to his drug taking. Initially offences involved raids on commercial premises, but later escalated to private dwellings.
He became a regular heroin user, committing crime to fund his drug lifestyle.
During an appeal hearing for a six year sentence for the string of burglaries Taylor, who was described as a “professional burglar”, was assessed as “having a high likelihood of reoffending”.
Upholding a sentence of 71 months, the judge found that previous sentences “had no impact on his attitudes towards offending”. Despite the almost six year sentence Taylor has continued to offend, adding to a record which now boasts 118 convictions.
In 2022 he broke into the home of a vulnerable elderly widow, holding her prisoner for over three hours and threatening to stab her with a screwdriver.
He was serving a suspended jail sentence of two years for similar offences at the time.
Despite claiming he thought the property was empty, the 86-year-olds presence did not deter Taylor, who subjected her to a three and a half hour ordeal.
During that period Taylor rummaged through the woman’s belongings and assaulted her when she tried to leave the back door.
He “grabbed her and trailed her back in,” causing her to fall and cut her hand. While she was on the floor he kicked her twice to the hip and threatened her with a screwdriver.
He took £140 in cash, as well as jewellery from the Ballymena home. He then tried to break into two other houses causing £2,000 in damages.
His victim was left so traumatised by the burglary that she has since sold her home and moved in with her daughter.
Police investigating the incidents obtained forensic and CCTV evidence linking Taylor to them but he had fled to mainland Europe.
After surrendering himself to police in September last year he revealed he had been in Amsterdam “taking loads of drugs.”
Taylor was handed a 44 month sentence for this incident and had his previous suspended sentences reactivated. He is set to serve 22 months in jail for the attack on the vulnerable widow.
Sinn Fein MLA Deidre Hargey said: “I am aware that the justice minster is bringing forward sentencing legislation. Cases like this show the need for this legislation to be processed.”
