A BURGLARY victim whose home was trashed and her children’s toys destroyed saw the man responsible jailed for 18 months.

Louise Scholes returned to her home in Russell Gardens, Hamworthy, on April 26 this year to find it had been ransacked, with windows smashed, glass shoved into her children’s flower pots, and their fish tank destroyed.

Also their pushchair and trampoline were slashed.

The bathroom was smashed and the fridge-freezer put in the kitchen, flooding the property; furniture and electrical goods were destroyed and games consoles, jewellery and cash stolen.

These included her grandmother’s rings and her children’s holiday money.

Daniel Jones, 34, of Blandford Road, Poole, was sentenced by Judge Samuel Wiggs at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to one count of burglary, although it was suggested that other people had been involved in the crime and not arrested.

During the hearing the court heard that Jones had used a weapon to batter the front door down, and that the house had been “literally destroyed”.

Miss Scholes, her partner and her children Tommy, three, Shelby, two, and Reuben, 18 months, were homeless for 13 weeks after the incident, but were fortunately taken in by a friend in her two-bedroom flat.

“The hardest thing was having to make up stories to explain to Tommy why we couldn’t go home,” she said.

“We have had to move away and the children had to change schools so they have lost contact with their friends.

“It has been incredibly stressful, I have had trouble sleeping and feel nervous leaving the house.

“I can’t imagine what might have happened if we had been there at the time, everything was destroyed.”

She said she was pleased with the sentence, but disappointed he wouldn’t have to pay compensation.

“I thought he was going to get off with a suspended sentence so I am pleased he has gone to prison, I don’t believe he is remorseful at all,” she said.

“But all of my possessions and my kid’s toys were destroyed, and we don’t have insurance, and it will cost the housing association a lot to repair the house.”

Jones was also ordered to pay a £100 victim surcharge.

DANIEL JONES

THE court heard that Daniel Jones, who has eight previous convictions covering 18 offenses – including handling stolen goods, criminal damage, battery and racially aggravated assault – targeted the house as he believed someone else lived there against whom he had a grudge.

Speaking in mitigation on Friday, Kevin Hill said: “Mr Jones made his remorse clear to the police at his interviews. He had justified his actions at the time on the basis of a long-running family feud, but he was clearly quite wrong.

“He had taken a lot of alcohol at the time, but when sober at his interview he said he was appalled at his behaviour as he has family of his own.”

Jailing Jones, Judge Samuel Wiggs said: “This was terrible for the householder, who suffered the most awful consequences of having her home effectively destroyed.”