Brierley Hill woman smashed her way into pensioner's home with a hammer, court hears (From Dudley News)

Brierley Hill woman smashed her way into pensioner's home with a hammer, court hears

2:10pm Tuesday 28th August 2012 in News

A BRIERLEY Hill woman smashed her way into the home of an 85-year-old man with a lump hammer after taking a cocktail of drink and drugs, a court heard.

Leanne Dovey, aged 26, got into the Amblecote Road property and filled a carrier bag with biscuits and other food items - Sarah Pratt prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

She told the court Dovey had little recollection of the break-in and she told police after her arrest that she must have been hungry.

Miss Pratt said she was rumbled because investigating officers managed to recover one of her fingerprints from inside the pensioner's property.

She said the elderly man who lived alone found all the lights were on downstairs after he woke in the early hours.

He went to investigate and after spotting a figure jumping out of a window he quickly alerted police, added Miss Pratt.

A neighbour had also seen two people running away from the house and when police arrived on the scene they found two windows had been shattered with a lump hammer.

They also found a carrier bag near the back door which contained the items of food and the fingerprint lead them straight to Dovey who was arrested shortly afterwards.

Dovey, of Lower Derry Street, admitted burglary and was remanded on conditional bail until September 14 for the preparation of a medical report.

Jas Mann, defending, said Dovey had a number of "serious problems" and he felt the report was necessary before the case could he finalised.