A CREWKERNE man who deliberately targeted elderly and disabled people during a night-time burglary spree has been jailed for eight months.

Unemployed Ashley James Baker, 23, of Station Road, admitted that jointly with Adrian Porter, he used a balaclava and tools to break into sheltered housing in Chubbs Lawn.

Somerset Magistrates were told that during the raids, Baker stole a number of items including cash, a laptop, wallet and then took the keys to the occupant’s car and woke him up as the car was being driven away.

Magistrates said the properties had been occupied at the time they were burgled and there were vulnerable victims who had suffered “distress and trauma” as a result of the offences.

Baker also admitted a further joint charge of stealing tools and security equipment from a vehicle in Chard belonging to Carl Hedges on the same date.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton told the court on November 4 last year between 3.30am and 4.30am two properties in Chubbs Lawn in Crewkerne were targeted which were both occupied by elderly men.

She said: “The owner was alerted when he heard his car being started so he called the police and at 4.30am officers found the vehicle being driven on the A30 near Crewkerne.

“They followed it and put on their blue lights but it failed to stop and there was a short, low speed pursuit that ended in Chard when the driver ran off and Baker, who was the passenger, was detained.”

The vehicle was searched and contained tools and security equipment that had been stolen from a van.

Also in the car was a balaclava and when it was analysed was found to contain Baker’s DNA.

In victim impact statements read to the court, one of the elderly victims told how the night-time raids had affected him psychologically.

The statement said : “After the initial 24 hours I was looking over my shoulder and felt very vulnerable as I am disabled and my mobile phone, laptop and precious car were all gone.

“The police were wonderful however my precious VW Golf which is 20 years old has been abused and razed and am still suffering from somebody entering my private space.

“I am down, depressed, anxious and vulnerable and any knock on the door or bump in the night brings it all back.”

The man who had tools stolen from his vehicle said he had only moved down to Somerset from the London area a few weeks earlier and said it was the second time in a week his van had been broken into.

He said: “I’ve lost a day’s work and I had hoped that moving to Chard would give my family the chance to live without vehicle crime, but clearly I was mistaken.

“It has left a sour taste in my mouth and left me wondering whether it was worth it.”

In mitigation, Baker told the court that he was “a complete and utter fool” to have committed the offences.

“I am just disappointed in myself and have let my family down and have potentially ruined three peoples’ lives,” he said.