A career burglar broke both ankles after jumping off a roof while trying to evade arrest.
Paul Andrews, who also severely lacerated his right hand in his failed escape bid, was wanted for two brazen daylight burglary offences. One of these was witnessed by patients in a nearby doctor’s waiting room and when a GP bravely challenged him, Andrews, who was wearing a balaclava, threatened to stab him.
A court heard today (Tue) that at the time he had been released under investigation for an unprovoked attack in a Wirral park which left a 16-year-old boy with a dislocated shoulder. The defendant and a companion had earlier been “hitting on” some teenage girls – before the boy and his friend intervened – and a judge described their behaviour, as men twice their age, as “rather pathetic.”
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Andrews began breaking into properties when he was just 13 years old and he has since amassed convictions for 60 offences, mainly for burglaries. His lawyer told Liverpool Crown Court that the defendant wanted to turn his life around and during sentencing Andrews, who appeared via video link from prison, interrupted to apologise for his behaviour.
Judge David Swinnerton had pointed out to him sentiments expressed in the victims’ statements about the distressing impact of his home intrusion. Andrews said: “I am really sorry for what I have done” before adding: “Through my life all I knew is robbing and stealing, I had never been guided in any good way.”
Andrews continued “I don’t blame anyone other than myself. I know I am responsible for my own actions. I know it is not the probation, police or courts fault, it is my fault. But what I would ask after when I get released is help, supervision with a GPS tag because I know I have a problem and I have not been able to stop it since I was a kid.”
Judge Swinnerton said he accepted Andrews appeared to be genuinely ashamed and regretful. "When you come out you need to make a decision whether to spend your life in and out of custody and waste your life in prison – or make a concerted effort to stay out which is what I think you want to do,” he told him.
“Definitely,” replied Andrews. “I hope never to see you in court again,” said Judge Swinnerton. “Same,” responded the defendant.
Andrews, 31, of Colville Street, Wavertree, was jailed for a total of four and a half years after admitting assault, affray, burglary, attempted burglary and threatening behaviour. Martyn Walsh, prosecuting, had told the court that the first incident happened on June 4 last year, just three months after Andrews had been released from prison on licence.
Andrews and a companion, who has yet to be sentenced, were in Victoria Park, West Kirby. They had been drinking and began harassing a group of 16-year-old girls. Judge Swinnerton said they had been behaving badly, “It was boorish, obnoxious behaviour.”
The court heard that two friends of the girls intervened and the two men took exception to being ignored while trying to 'chat them up'. Andrews' friend hit one of the boys over the head with a bottle, which smashed, and when he fell to the ground Andrews joined in and kicked him more than once dislocating his right shoulder.
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When his friend tried to run away one of the men hit him and a beer bottle was thrown at him. He suffered bruising and swelling to his eyes and mouth. In an impact statement the first boy told of the pain he had to endure and the keen footballer was also unable to train or play in a local cup final match.
He said he felt like he was “scrambling for my life” after being hit with a bottle and kicked by two adults “who should have known better.” Just over two weeks later – on June 21 – Andrews tried to break into a house in Woolton Road, Woolton, by smashing a rear balcony window.
CCTV showed he had been standing on a six foot high fence before pulling himself onto the balcony and unsuccessfully trying to smash the window lock. Very shortly after leaving empty handed he struck at a house in nearby Rutherford Road, Mossley Hill, just five minutes after the householder had gone out.
People in the nearby medical centre saw him jump from the centre roof into the property grounds. One of the GPs confronted him but Andrews “threatened to stab him if he followed him and interfered with what he wanted to do,” said Mr Walsh.
CCTV footage later revealed him smashing an upstairs window and after climbing in he rifled through drawers in the bedrooms and stole £200 cash. The occupants of the two homes spoke of their distress and concern about what might have happened if they had been in when the burglar struck and they have had to install extra security devices.
John Keane, defending, said that Andrews and his friend had been drinking and taking drugs but he had not instigated the incident in the Wirral park. He added: “He accepts causing injury to the shoulder with the use of a foot. It was a spontaneous incident and he joined in.”
He said that the defendant has a partner and young children and he wants “to turn his life around.”
