A contractor who burgled the home of a terminally ill man he’d been working for has been jailed.
Clifford Tetley had been employed as a handyman by the man’s family for several years before deciding to steal from them.
The 50-year-old burglar waited until he knew The Park-based home in Nottingham was empty before deciding to strike and help himself to valuables.
A watch, jewellery, designer shoes, two electric bikes, a mountain bike and several bank cards were taken in the break-in, which happened sometime between 21 and 30 March last year.
One of the reasons why the house was empty during this period was because the victim had been admitted to hospital for treatment after receiving a terminal illness diagnosis.
After returning home a few days later, members of the family noticed items had gone missing, including a valuable watch that had been stored in a hiding place within the house.
They immediately suspected Tetley could be involved, due to him decorating the room where the secret spot was located – making him one of the few people to know it existed.
Tetley repeatedly used the bank cards he’d taken during the burglary in stores to buy various items, including clothes and more trainers.
He would also later go on to use an angle grinder to try and break into another property in The Meadows on 21 June but was unable to get inside that building.
Tetley, of Waldron Close, The Meadows, was subsequently charged with burglary, attempted burglary, handling stolen goods and multiple counts of fraud by false representation.
Having pleaded guilty to each of these charges, he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (9 May), where he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Detective Constable Chris Adams, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“Clifford Tetley had been employed as a trusted handyman by the victim’s family for several years before deciding to break into their home.
“That trust extended to him knowing about a secret space in the house where they kept valuables hidden; knowledge he exploited for his own gain while his victims were at their lowest point.
“One of the reasons the house was empty when he decided to strike was because his long-term employer was in hospital receiving treatment for a terminal illness, which tragically has since taken his life.
“When you consider all of this, what Tetley did was a particularly abhorrent betrayal of trust, with the burglar helping himself to all sorts of items that didn’t belong to him.
“We’re pleased to see he’s now received a substantial custodial sentence for his actions, which we hope will provide some small degree of comfort to the victims as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved one.”
• West Bridgford: Ten days of parking and driving restrictions for Test Match at Trent Bridge
